Only In Japan

Keys

2008-09-21T18:04:00.000+09:00

The Keys to my Heart???

The Keys to Your Heart

You are attracted to those who are unbridled, untrammeled, and free.

In love, you feel the most alive when your lover is creative and never lets you feel bored.

You'd like to your lover to think you are loyal and faithful... that you'll never change.

You would be forced to break up with someone who was emotional, moody, and difficult to please.

Your ideal relationship is open. Both of you can talk about everything... no secrets.

Your risk of cheating is zero. You care about society and morality. You would never break a commitment.

You think of marriage as something precious. You'll treasure marriage and treat it as sacred.

In this moment, you think of love as something you thirst for. You'll do anything for love, but you won't fall for it easily.

What Are The Keys To Your Heart?

MONDAY Mornin' MEME thanks Karen

2008-09-15T10:41:00.005+09:00

Lucky me! I found a great blog...called Write From Karen

And thanks to her I have something to write about today. Well, its random. And you know I like random. so Enjoy. :)--oh and know that I have played around with TONS of editors to try and get my blog looking better. well, I am lost. Because of our TERRIBLE connection speed (on the ship) its almost impossible to upload anything (including BLOGGER) so anyway-----UGH SIGH I will keep at it!!

1. Are you brunette? Blonde? Auburn? And is it natural? If you could pick any type of hair you wanted, the style and color, what would it be? (Can you link us to a picture?)

I am blonde. Dirty Blonde or Dishwater Blonde? In serious need of highlights blonde. Its gotten a lot darker with age, it was super blonde (toe head?) when I was a toddler. I like being a blonde. I have tried going brunette/amber because I wore a wig for Halloween and I liked it. The wig was long and had layers, made my eyes "pop" (or so I thought) and was really cute, but when I chose to get my hair dyed DARK, my hair was short. Yeah, it wasn’t pretty. I got a lot of “what were you thinking” and “you look better as a blonde”. So I decided to stay blonde. I am rockin some serious roots right now (cause I’m in Japan) but I love BEING A BLONDE!!! The couple of pictures I have posted here you can see....me with the WIG......my usual Blonde color....me with SHORT blonde hair..(couldn't find a decent picture on this computer of my short DARK hair.. then finally..........me with PINK hair... (gotta love them 80s parties!!!)

Me with the wig

My Normal Blonde Color

Short Blonde Hair

Me again BLONDE hair

Rockin the PINK hair

2. How did your car get that little scratch/dent? (Because let’s face it, we ALL have car stories, right? If, for some reason you don’t, tell us about how someone else’s car got that scratch/dent).

I was the reason I had a big ole dent in my last car. I was pulling into my garage, which in order to do it successfully, you had to turn 90 degrees. And well, my turn was a bit too sharp and yeah, my passenger door got a super ugly dent in it. And it really stunk knowing that I had NO one to blame but myself.

Oh and Karen (Write from Karen~love your blog by the way and thanks for the MONDAY MEME) umm, I too fell out of a MOVING car (granted I wasn’t driving but…) yeah I was young (like 3 or 4 I think) and for SOME reason I fell out of the back seat of the car. My mom was driving in a parking lot in Indianapolis in the middle of winter. There was tons of snow everywhere…I had a brown snowsuit on (yeah, Brown….thats hot…) well, the door mysteriously opened, I rolled out and a garbage truck almost hit me. (My mom, who was freaking out I am sure….talked to the truck driver and said YOU almost RAN OVER my baby!!” He said, “Ma’am, I am sorry, I am so glad I didn’t, but I thought that little brown ball rolling in the snow was~~~~~~~~~~~~ A BAG OF TRASH!!! Hahaha UGH SIGH! lol

3. In your opinion, what is the worst-tasting candy? Now, what is the best-tasting candy? How often do you eat candy? Do you keep it around your house? Do you allow your children to eat very much candy?

I will have to say, the worst tasting candy I have every had, has to be something I had recently…it was SOUR gummy type candy (like sour worms, or sour watermelon gummies) but with LI-HING spice. *According to Wikipedia: Li hing mui is salty dried plum. The red powder (the shade of red depends on the retailer), called li hing powder that covers the dried plum has a strong, distinctive flavor, and is often said to be an acquired taste for many. The li hing powder is said to be an acquired taste because it has the combination of sweet, sour, and salty taste. Some people also say that it tastes tart, and some even tangy. Li hing mui is good for dry and scratchy throats, as it will help you salivate. . Li hing powder is used for many things, but is mainly used to sprinkle different items, such as fruits like apples and pineapples. The keiki (children) of Hawaii also like to put li hing powder on almost everything, including sour gummy bears, sour gummy worms, sour watermelon, sour patch keiki (also known as sour patch kids), sour apple, rock candy, popcorn, and a rare (also known as kakimochi and mochi crunch).

Ok so did you learn plenty about LI-HING?? Ha-ha Ok so back to the original question, WORST tasting, ok that’s my answer…..LI-HING candy. Best tasting candy? Well, that’s a tough one….chocolate, sour gummy, hard candy, licorice, etc. It depends. My favorite candy bar…even though I don’t eat chocolate very often at all….would have to be: 3 Musketeers or Reese’s Cups. (I guess??) My favorite gummy type candy would have to be (as of late) Sour Berry Gummy Life Savers. (those are gooood) Oh and a personal fave (and movie candy of choice) has always been twizzlers. I try not to keep Candy around the house……except for Holidays (in cute li’l candy dishes and whatnot) ~~ I don’t have children, but if I did…..they could have candy like a few times a month. “ration it” But hopefully my kids would be like my niece. She NEVER eats candy. Had her Halloween candy stashed away for about a year before it was thrown out!!

4. Are you easily agitated? What really makes your temper soar? Do you stay angry for a long time? Or do you get over it pretty fast?

Agitated easily, I would have to say yes. One thing that really agitates me is “Horse Play”…I have been in the Navy for almost 13 years so I have seen much horse play…..since I work around mostly GUYS that’s just what they do. And the sight of it, even in my peripheral vision, agitates the bejeeezus out of me. What makes my temper soar? In all honesty, nothing really makes my temper soar….I think a lot about a lot of things, so I get frustrated or confused or perplexed haha but not ANGRY too often. Well, I get “pissed off” a lot it seems. Is that the same as being angry? ~lol~ but no, I do not stay angry for very long at all. Life’s too short. I don’t do the whole “hold a grudge thing”……I know a few people that do and I believe that has contributed to some extremely lonely times in their lives.

Thursday 13 # 1

2008-09-04T10:24:00.004+09:00

13 THINGS I MISS ABOUT THE STATES these are in no particular order and actually are very insignificant to me really. The only REAL thing I miss about the states is NOT BEING CLOSE(R) to my family. I miss you all every single day. BUT....for purposes of this blog I am going to share with you's 13 things I miss....granted theres a ton of random things I miss about the states...I LOVE AMERICA!!! But its THURSDAY 13.....so here ya go.
1. TARGET---I miss going there getting a red cart, going to try on a bunch of clothes and hate how I look in them, so then I go to the shoes, and the purses, and the pajamas and workout clothes.....then I go to housewares and look at the dishes, wall hangings, bathroom/kitchen decor, etc. Then I go to DVDs, then IPOD accessories, then holiday stuff, then toiletries, then cards, then AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH i miss walking around aimlessly for an hour or two......potentially buying a bunch of cool stuff I DONT NEED!!!

2. Barnes and Noble---Going there, getting a JAVA, finding a few good books about whatever topic, then curling up in one of their comfy loveseat type chairs for a while and reading. By myself, just to relax. Ahhhh.....

3. Driving---I miss my crappy li'l 2000 Honda Civic. I had that car the entire 6.5 years I was in San Diego....bought it for 9grand and had zero problems with it. I miss driving.....wherever, for whatever. Having the ability to pull into a stores parking lot, park and pick up a...I don't know...ironing board, or laundry basket...and put it in the trunk of my car....(unlike being in Japan, with NO CAR, and 20 minute walk to the train station away from the Navy Exchange, therefor limiting me the capability of being able to purchase said Ironing board or laundry basket)

4. Spinning Classes...I haven't done it in forever, but I lately I have really wanted to and don't have that opportunity over here (and OUT TO SEA). I sure hope I still have this motivation when I move back to the states. (to SPIN) I loved it when I did it. Such an incredible and effective work out!!! Its NO JOKE......but yeah, give it a try!

5. Happy Hour...Yep, I surely do miss a good Happy Hour. I miss being social and everyone unwinding after a 'tough day' at the job....I used to go every so often, with friends, heck sometimes alone, just for some conversation and a cold one. I used to like going to Gordon Bircsch.....(more yuppie type men there) but of course Pacific Beach was always good times for sure. (Cabo Cantina....awwww) which leads me to the next thing I miss....

6. Margaritas......GOOD ONES. With good friends.....If you know me, you know I LOVE me a good margarita. My kitchen decor is actually MARGARITA themed...so if you are ever out and about and see something "margarita-ish" REMEMBER ME. :) ~~not a Parrot Head either, but yeah i have me some Margarita-ville stuff.

7.TIVO...I miss TIVO. The device allowing me to watch all my favorite shows whenever I want, without commmercial interuption!! Especially my REALITY TV yeah the programming responsible for loss of brain cells. I miss watching pointless shows filled with drama and gossip. Amazing Race, America's Next Top Model, Survivor, Little People Big World, American Idol, Project Runway, etc etc etc. Yeah.....I guess it IS a bit ridiculous when you start naming all the shows........I guess I miss HAVING THE TIME and THE OPTION to utilize TIVO.

8. Las Vegas. Ahhh....I miss Las Vegas. I won't get into the why's and the HOW MUCH's.......lol But yeah, I MISS VEGAS.---or really, i just miss a good casino. Playing Slots at the base club here in Yokosuka pretty much stinks.--When I get back...VEGAS ANYONE????

9. Road Trips.....Day Trips, Overnighters, Weekend Getaways, I miss ROADTRIPS period! Granted, these are best shared with 'someone special' which should also be on this list as one of the things I MISS.....~sigh~ butttttttt........yeah I miss getting in the car just to go find the ma and pa type establishments in the little towns around where I'd live...or planning weekend getaways to go camping or site seeing or to a theme park, etc.

10.Garage Sales....laugh if you will, but I miss the option of getting up on a Saturday morning early and going all around checking out Garage Sales. (Japanese, to my knowledge, do not partake in Garage Sales...I think they take their junk to a 'salvation army' type place. Cause I have been to it. Its called BOOK OFF. (?)

11. Sampling...Ya know, skipping lunch and going to Costco on a weekend and eating lunch (from their samples) Love it. I like it too because the sample portions are small so even if they are Chocolatey Goodness or Cheesy Yumminess, you don't feel guilty cause its just a little bite!!

12. Slurpees from 7-11..... Didn't drink them much but I miss them. I used to get the little tiny ones...just to try the different flavors. I miss the convenience of 7-11s. They have 7-11s here but they are NOT the same. AT ALL. Granted you can get sushi and a ton of other random and most likely GROSS japanese stuff to eat/drink....but NOT Slurpees.

13. Comedy Clubs....I used to freqent them. Comedy Store, Laugh Factory, etc. Seen Dane Cook like three times, Ralphie May, Rodney Dangerfield, Lewis Black, Joe Rogan, Paulie Shore (just to name a few) I love to laugh.....and yeah there are probably Japanese comedians.....but last time I checked I don't speak JAPANESE!!!

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Batam, Indonesia

2008-08-21T17:19:00.004+09:00

So we pulled into Batam Indonesia the other day. The port was definitely not exciting. It was extremely dirty and stinky and yeah, wasn't a fan. We only came here for "civic operations". We were the first ship to pull in at this port in a LONG time.....so ships crew provided numerous tours and we had lots of interaction with the locals. The only thing I participated in was a community relations project at a local Islamic Boarding School just outside of town. Al-Kautsar Pesantren was the name of the school. They had about 230 students. We went there in the morning to paint and such. I was able to interact with quite a few of the children. Such a sad sight it was.....These children were absolute angels....living in poverty....with nothing but smiles on their faces. It was an amazing experience.

Now as far as the port visit itself, as I said...it was stinky and dirty in this town and I did not enjoy myself there. However, I did enjoy seeing the little kids in the street. Ok, it was sad because they were BEGGING, and I mean BEGGING for money (and it was late, and i told them they need to BE IN BED) but they were NOT taking NO for an answer......so I was handing out bills to them (granted this bills, in their currency were the equivilent of about TEN CENTS ~haha~ but yeah, I told them you have to take a picture with me then I will give you some money......overall I think I gave them like a whole dollar. PLUS I got the picture below. :)

Haze Gray and UNDERWAY

2008-08-15T14:00:00.004+09:00

WOW!!!! I can't believe its been almost an entire year since I have written a blog entry. I guess if anything, it just proves that time FLIES! 'Spose all I can do now is post as I think about random entries....I have some pictures that probably need to be posted and whatnot. So, I guess since I am out to sea for the next few months I might as well just work on updating this a bit. Enjoy.

Ode to the Penis????

2008-04-12T10:27:00.000+09:00

Kanamara Matsuri

On the first Sunday of April each year, a very interesting festival is held at the Kanamara Shrine in the Kanagawa Prefecture in Tokyo. It's known as the Kanamara Matsuri, or Festival of the Steel Phallus. The festival dates back to the Edo period(1603-1867), when prostitutes would visit the shrine to pray for good business and protection from syphillis. (umm? ok) At this time of year they would carry an image of the shrine's phallus around the streets. Today the Kanamara Festival is a fertility festival (too bad I am in japan....or I'd want to make babies after the FERTILITY FESTIVAL hahaha) The Festival these days is primarily held to help raise money for HIV research.

The festival started with maiko(trainee geisha) dancing on a stage. This was then followed by the mikoshi(portable shrine) with phalluses on the top being blessed. After this they were then carried through the streets of Tokyo. In fact one of the shrines(the big pink one) was carried by a group of transvestites. **Nothing like Asian Trannies!!??**
If you want to you can even join in carrying the shrines if you like (I declined thanks). It was hilarious. Everywhere PENISs.....grown men sucking on Penis Suckers, carving penis's out of veggies, etc etc Yeah it was a hoot. Glad I went...and it certainly showed what a wonderful sense of humor Japanese people have.

Ok the picture below was gross......an old Japanese man showing me how to use the li'l toy...of two people "doin it" (it was like a keychain or something) but yeah he was creepy....but of course i found it hilarious.

Christmassy Q&A

2007-12-16T13:17:00.000+09:00

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Both. I like wrapping and decorating and making the gifts all festive and fun. (when I don’t have to ship them across the world)
2. Real or artificial Tree? Fake—I love my fake tree. Its three pieces/pre-lit. So easy and looks great. (pictures up soon)
3. When do you put Christmas tree up? Usually the weekend after Thanksgiving. I LOVE my house to be all Christmassy….so I put décor up as soon as I can.
4. When do you take the tree down? Usually around New Years Day or so…but this year it will be up until June. So I can celebrate Christmas with my mom when she comes to Japan!!
5. Like egg nog? Tolerate it. (agreed Seester) I don’t HAVE to have it each Holiday Season…but I can sip on it if its there. Not really a fan though.
6. Do you have a nativity scene? NO! (my seester has them all) But I remember setting up the Nativity Scenes on the end table and such when I was little.
7. Favorite gift received as a child? Heck, I dunno. I don’t ever recall being disappointed at Christmas so I imagine ALL my gifts were my favorite at the time. “SANTA” was soooo good to us growin up. No complaints here.
8. Hardest person to buy for? My nephew. I mean really, all I can get him (16 y/o) is a gift card so he can get some cool clothes or something. Too old for toys and such.
9. Easiest person to buy for? Myself
10. Worst Christmas gift? It’s a GIFT….given by someone…so should I really gripe about it being the WORST? Although..........The gifts from my ex in-laws were pretty gaudy.
11. Mail or email a Christmas Card? Mail (assuming I GET THEM SENT OFF in time to be receieved before Christmas! *I’m really bad at that*
12. Favorite Christmas movie? Emmet Otter's Jugband Christmas! and The Best Christmas Pagent Ever!

13. Favorite food to eat at Christmas? Yeah seester, agreed on the yum platter food we eat while decorating the Christmas tree!(Hickory Farms Beef Stick and such)
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yep, this year. I had received a Japanese Hair Dryer from one of my friends cause I needed one about a month ago. (then I regifted it for one of my gifts for the orphans. The young girl had requested a HAIR DRYER, so it worked out!!)
15. Favorite lights? I prefer all white lights. But I used to like those HUMONGO ones my dad would have on the trees outside. (doubt they even sell those fire hazards anymore)
16.Least Favorite Christmas Song? "Last Christmas" I think its by George Michael UGH...so annoying. lol
17. Favorite Christmas Song? Such a fan of Christmas Music! Classics….ELVIS (reminds me of mom) Roger Whittaker (reminds me of dad) Grown Up Christmas List by Amy Grant is a fave….but this year my favorite is Sarah McLauglins Christmas (Bleak Mid Winter FAVORITE SONG)
18. Travel during Christmas or Stay Home? Well of course I would prefer to travel during Christmas and go see my family!! But this year I am stuck here in Japan WORKING!!!
19. Angel or Star on Tree top? Star
20. Least favorite thing about this time of year? Being away from my loved ones.

Happy Birthday Mom!

2007-11-25T20:23:00.000+09:00

So today was my mother's birthday. And I was really saddened by the fact that I was unable to be there with her to celebrate. I can only remember one birthday I was able to spend with her in the last few years. (When she came to San Diego and we went to VEGAS....so fun...so many great memories!!) I had no clue what to 'get' her for her birthday--well I somehow stumbled upon a website that sold Birthday Cakes. (made in New York, shipped to anywhere in the USA) The website was festive and fun and included an online "virtual party" that I set up by sending invites to her family (the party attendees). They went to the Virtual Party page and left notes and Happy Birthday wishes for my mom, who received this "Party" via email ON her birthday. So that in itself is worth checking out the website (you can use the Virtual Party feature regardless of whether or not you purchase a cake) Well, I certainly woudn't have sent my mom a big decadent chocolate cake to eat by her self......I knew my seester and her family were going to be with Mom to celebrate so I purchased the cake. It included candles, silverware, napkins and a Birthday Sign. So even though I wasn't there in body to throw my mom a party...I still managed to throw her a party....and I was there in spirit...and ON THE PHONE. (these pics are courtesy of my SEESTER) *thanks Sees*

Although it was super sad for me not to be there with her, I was so thrilled to be able to be on the phone when they sang and when she blew out the candles and such. Mom, I miss you terribly. I hope you had a great birthday and I soooooooo look forward to the day when I can bake you a cake, sing to you in PERSON, wish you a HAPPY HAPPY Birthday and top it off with a great big hug. I love you 80808080!

http://www.gocakego.com/

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

2007-11-22T16:45:00.000+09:00

I really hope everyone has/had a great Thanksgiving. I hope that if you were fortunate enough to spend it with family and/or friends that you cherished that time and were able to take a few minutes to reflect on what you are thankful for. I know I did. I, unfortunately, did not spend this Thanksgiving amongst friends OR family. I spent it on duty. So while standing my watch I had nothing but time to think of what I am thankful for. Here are a few (of the MANY) things I am thankful for.

I am thankful to have such an amazing mother and an equally amazing friend. Mom, you have no idea the impact you have made in my life. Your unconditional love and support means the world to me. You STILL manage to make everything "all better", even via a quick phonecall. Your friendship is so important to me. I cherish it. I love that I have you to talk to about any and everything. I miss you incredibly and love you 8080808080. I hope you have a great Thanksgiving.
I am thankful for my seester. I am thankful that I can call her my friend. I love you Angi, very much. I look forward to spending the holidays and such with you and yours in years to come. I miss you incredibly and I thank you for keeping in such great contact with me while I am over here. I look forward to being able to 'chat' on the phone soon. (vonage style) Oh and I am thankful that you have your DH. I am glad that he is a great husband and a loving father. Happy Thanksgiving you two, give hugs to one another on behalf of those that don't have 'someone' to hug this Thanksgiving. :)
I am thankful for my li'l brudder. Even though we DON'T stay in touch as we should. I am so proud of you. Please stay focused and keep kicking arse in the Navy. Not sure if by this time, you have re-enlisted but remember....you are choosing to RE-enlist. SO choose to make the most of your time in. Give 100%. You can and WILL do great things! I love you and miss you! Hi and Happy Thanksgiving to K. I heard about your 15lb turkey. LOL
I am thankful for my favorite neice and favorite nephew. I miss you two so much. Z- you are such a great kid. I am so glad we were able to hang out in March. Drop me a line everynow and then....I'd love to hear from you. And H- I miss you so much! I really really do. I love reading your moms blogs on what you're doing and such. I look forward to talking to you on the phone soon. I miss you and love you.
I am thankful for my close friends. They are few and far between, but you know who you are. I thank you for giving me all the memories I have. Many many memories. Good stuff. I wish I could hand pick who I had out here.....I miss you soo much. SOO MUCH!
I am thankful that I have a succesful though extremely stressful career in the Navy, that has me living in Japan. And yes, it is terribly hard being away from those I love. BELIEVE ME. But still, it IS pretty incredible that I am living in Japan. And just as soon as I stop wishin I was home right now, I have so many places to see and adventures to experience over here. lol
Theres tons more I am thankful for....really. I know I am truly blessed. I guess I just wanted make sure my loved ones know how much they are missed and how much they mean to me. Even after 12 years in the Navy I still get crazy homesick around the holidays. And it doesn't help that I am ridiculously festive.....So, don't get annoyed this year at the holiday shoppers, the hustle and bustle....the Christmas carols on every radio station, etc. I would LOVE to be in the middle of all that right now. --

But instead....I'm going to get back to work. Happy Thanksgiving Everyone. I hope you had lots of turkey, a good nap, and some more turkey.

Four Things

2007-11-16T17:18:00.000+09:00

Someone sent this to me on email....and I thought, that would make for an easy blog post. (since I am NOT good at updating this thing)

Four jobs I have had in my life:

Telemarketing….”Good morning. This is Alisha from QRS, are you a full time employee? Great I have been asked to contact the business people, here in the Mansfield area, and since you ARE a fulltime employee you will receive the next 60 months service of McCall’s, Working Woman, Movie line, and Elle”….wow, I still remember that from umm….94??
Waitress: let’s see….Pizza Hut, Cheddars, Cracker Barrel, Olive Garden, Bucks, Lonestar, umm Capn’s Corner (lol) or did I just roll silverware?? I forget lol
Detassled Corn: for a few summers….good money for a young kid. Didn’t like getting up and on the bus at 0’dark thirty……but it was all right
US NAVY: 12 years and counting……still can’t believe it’s been that long.

Four places I have lived:

We won’t count all the places I lived BEFORE I JOINED THE NAVY….but since then-
Virginia Beach, VA
Sardinia, Italy
San Diego, CA (ahh, love it)
Nobi, Japan

Four places I have been on vacation:

I have been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to travel extensively while in the Navy….but VACATIONS per say??
Oklahoma….every year of my childhood. Pawnee Bills anyone? Worlds of Fun on the way? How bout Merrimack Caverns?
London- me and a friend of mine in the Navy flew up there from Italy back in 2001. LOVED LOVED London!
Maui- yeah, it was with my ship, but it was amazing. The road to Hana is by far one of the coolest road trips ever. Las VEGAS!!- Love me some Vegas…..went there numerous times while I lived in San Diego….each trip was special in its own way…Mom and I going was sooo fun….the last time I went…was pretty spectacular. And oh, me, and 8 of my girlfriends going for my 30th birthday….Good times for sure!

Four of my favorite foods are:

Moms Fried Rice (mixed with applesauce) mmm.. I dunno…when I was little the applesauce mixed in with the rice on accident and ever since the two HAVE to go together. Lol
Cottage Cheese Yumminess- ½ c Low Fat Cottage Cheese, ½ c Frozen Blueberries, ¼ c raw oats (or Bran), 7 raw almonds, 2 splenda packets….DEEE---LISH!
Home Made Chicken Noodles… the ones Gramma Bir made “from scratch” lol Warm Spinach/Artichoke Dip- or any creamy, cheesy, fattening dip for that matter. Crab-Lobster dip—etc etc. YUM….”Dip It GOOD”….(some of you know of my genius restaurant idea)

Four places I would rather be right now:

At my mom’s house, decorating for her BIRTHDAY…helping her cook for Thanksgiving…then helping decorate for Christmas *sigh* ON LAND—considering as I am typing this, I am currently OUT TO SEA (but just for a few more days) lol
In San Diego- for lots of reasons.
In a house that’s conveniently down the street from those I care about….family, friends, etc…..(wow, I am asking for a lot, huh?) J

Four topics that I NEED to blog about sometime soon:

How crazy busy work has been and WILL be!!- both good and bad
Holiday stuff….including pictures of all my festive décor I will be putting up in a week or two
More Random Japanese sightings…. Umm….I dunno....any requests??

Ber ner ner nah ner ner......you say its my birthday!!!

2007-11-07T20:45:00.000+09:00

to me...Happy Birthday to me...Happy Birthday to meeeeee....Happy Birthday to me! Yippeee....yahoooo. Theres my party. Yeah safe to say this one was a pretty uneventful birthday. We got underway two days ago...and I spent the day doing my usual 'underway tasks'...well---my ‘usual’ tasks aren’t ever usual. I am in charge of the entire radio shack so it changes daily. I have to ensure training gets done, cleaning, maintenance, preservation, ALL The admin stuff, make sure comms are up and running, have to make sure the network guys are doing what they gotta do, etc etc. The inspection is a freakin nightmare-------never ending lists of discrepancies, then we have to take care of correcting them, everything from doing the work ourselves, to ordering parts, to following up with other divisions if they have to do the job, etc. It seems all we are doing is making the spreadsheets look pretty...the UPPER chain of command is constantly wanting UPDATES....status', dates of completion, etc. Well if you would just let us do our job and quit having us present you with neverending POA&Ms we'd get the work done like YESTERDAY. ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh lol Then we have this huge training inspection too……..so allll that admin stuff has to be straight….then I have to conduct tons of drills and training for my guys….it just goes on and on and on---Butttt..contrary to all that ventin' I just did, things are actually really good. I am being challenged every single day and have learned so much about the big scheme of things. Things that will one day make me a BETTER CHIEF. Speaking of Chief..I have to go now. I have to go study....FOR CHIEF!!!

Lengthy Post about Poopin'

2007-11-04T19:52:00.000+09:00

Every time I start my day and venture down the street...I know for sure it is going to be a day full of adventure. It never fails, no matter how insignificant or silly...something confuses me, makes me laugh, surprises me, embarrasses me, etc. That is due to the fact that I do not read, write, speak or understand Japanese. And actually, even if I knew the language I still wouldn't understand some of their 'ways of life'......hahaha

NOTE: This blog entry contains information about JAPANESE toilets, nifty gadgets around the toilet, etiquette while on the toilet...etc. *Don't say I didn't warn you* lol

Have you ever held out on going to the bathroom because you simply don't like using public restrooms....for OBVIOUS REASONS?

*Ok, so I am trying to consider my 'audience' when writing this blog entry......but seriously? How do you write about this stuff?.......haha What would YOU do if this is what you saw when you were on the toilet........

Lets talk about the different buttons on this HI TECH toilet gadget.....

Stop: Stop What?
Spray: Nice "Butt" symbol
Bidet:Umm what EXACTLY is the difference between the 'spray' feature and the 'bidet' feature? I thought a bidet was a bidet was a bidet? Shoots water umm in that region.
Music Note/Flushing Sound: Umm, karaoke while on the toilet?? *keep reading* lol
Water Pressure: ok c'mon folks...just spray the water..don't make me choose how powerful a blast I get....lol
Volume: Again....karaoke?? (Nope, read on)

So I tried them all out....hesitantly....and well, I don't need to share the particulars(but there IS a difference between bidet and spray haha...but lets discuss the MUSIC NOTE. I was curious why they had a flushing noise....I mean you push the button and it makes this ridiculously FAKE flushing noise. Well, when in doubt....GOOGLE it OUT. And I did. I typed the following JAPANESE+TOILETS+MUSIC ... hoping to find some information on the hi tech toilet gadget I experienced from earlier. But--NOT surprisingly, it gets soo much better. Please read the following article about TOILET NOISES...and why the Japanese people are NO LONGER embarrassed to poop in public. *LOL*

When Naoko Ito uses a public bathroom, she cringes in embarrassment at the thought that other patrons can hear the sounds coming from her stall.That's when she turns to the "Sound Princess".Ito, like a rapidly growing number of Japanese women, presses a device installed in public toilets to simulate the sound of water flushing - and mask the cruder noises of nature."I usually use the flushing sound when I go to a public bathroom, such as at a department store, because I get a bit self-conscious," said Ito, a 60-year-old waitress.
The Japanese word for clean - "kirei" - also means beautiful. The device - a curious mix of Japanese bashfulness and modern technology - is spreading rapidly through public buildings and has now become standard equipment for new construction.Leading toilet producer Toto has sold 500 000 of their Sound Princesses - "Oto-Hime" in Japanese - since 1988, and the company says orders surged 125 percent in 2003 alone."The core of our clientele is schools and companies," Toto spokesperson Kumi Goto said. "Japanese women are very embarrassed by the sounds they make in a toilet."There's another reason behind the increase in the gadgets: ecology. Women in Japan have traditionally flushed several times to cover up their noises, so the Sound Princess is saving water and cutting down on public building operators' utility bills.The Sound Princess is fairly simple. The user passes her hand over a sensor, and the convincing sound of a torrent of water comes from a speaker.
But for now, "Oto-Hime" seems too likely to remain for women only. Such gadgets might seem a dainty, modern excess of a shame-obsessed society, but the Sound Princess has deep roots in Japanese culture.The Japanese are notoriously fastidious: the daily bath is practiced with near-religious fervor, and walking inside with your shoes on is considered filthy. The Japanese word for clean - "kirei" - also means beautiful.And what happens in a bathroom stall is, well, among the dirtiest things that humans do.Going to the toilet has been considered embarrassing and even shameful for women since ancient times in Japan, said Noriji Suzuki, a parasitologist at Kochi University Medical School."Sometimes you see people talking to each other over a stall in Western countries, but that would never happen in our culture," he said.The trend is not limited to women these days. Some schools have done away with urinals because boys are increasingly too embarrassed to use the stalls, since going there would tell onlookers exactly what's going to happen next.

My House in Nobi

2007-10-20T17:42:00.001+09:00

My Front Yard
Originally uploaded by alishainjapan

This is the front (well, side) yard to my awesome four bedroom house I have here in Japan. I got really lucky with this place. Most have to walk quite a ways from the nearest train station to their house...but not me. I live about 4 minutes from the train station. The trains are totally reliable....NEVER late. Yeah I love where I live. Its convenient. Its close to the ocean. Its away from the base and the Americans. Its fantastic. Click on this picture to go inside and take a look.

Almost Back Home (to find me a home)

2007-09-18T19:49:00.000+09:00

So I haven’t left an entry in a while. That is because this entire time I have been trying to fix the entries that I already have posted. Our internet connection sucks on this ship so its been difficult. I was posting on wordpress.com but I couldn’t find a way to make my images stick so I switched over to Tripod. So far I prefer word press though because on their site, I was able to personalize my blog (banner and such) Still figuring out how and if I can personalize the look of my blog on blogger (i am sure i can, considering i have seen some pretty cool blogs hosted by this site). I also had to decide how I wanted to post pictures. I do not have a photo editor on the ship so I couldn’t size them down. SO I was teaching myself how to make thumbnails—but that took too much time so I finally just made some photo albums on Flickr and added links in my entries to the albums.(which means you's need to get a flickr account...please) :)

Well we are just a few days away from pulling back into Yokosuka. I am really looking forward to it. WE will be in port for about a month. (then back out to sea for about a month) Once we pull in, I have to go look for a place to live…quickly~ because MANY ships will be in port and MANY sailors will also be looking for off base housing…so that’s my number one priority. I am so ready to have a place all to myself. Can’t wait to get my bed delivered. I am going to have them unpack almost everything. (because trash is a huge issue in Japan) and the movers are responsible for throwing all the trash away if they unpack it (all the packing paper, boxes, etc) I don’t have much of anything as I sold everything when I got orders to Japan. I have to go get a futon. And maybe I will get a cheap card table and chairs. That’s about all I am going to get because I am all about saving MONEY. I want to buy new furniture and such when I get back to the states. But regardless of what I do or DON’T have in my place here in Japan, I will try to make it as cozy and comfortable as I can. I will most definitely be decorating for Christmas this year. I didn’t last year because it was all in storage. But yeah, I am going to decorate this year….I am not taking leave so I will be around the whole time and it will be nice and FESTIVE for me to decorate. I am thinking I might leave it up too, so whoever comes to visit me next year can see it….and we can celebrate Christmas then too. J

Apparently it is like 6 or 7 grand to initially move in to a place. First months rent (rent runs about 1800 US dollars!! ~But they give you housing allowance for the rent~ Last months rent, Agents Fee and Security Deposit, which is the equivalent of one months rent each….So that means like about 6000.00!! UGH I believe they pay you back about a third of that---I don’t care how much it costs, I have to get off this ship ASAP. Each month you get a UTILITY allowance which runs about 500 a month. And utilities are only about 200 a month (so that’s an extra 300 in my pocket) Plus I will get COLA. (Cost Of Living Allowance) All I know is in about a month, I will be bringing in some serious dough. YAY

Who Needs Cable?

2007-09-05T16:45:00.000+09:00

Thank God for Video IPODS…..I can still get my TV FIX……some people on this ship walk around with a book in their back pocket to catch a chapter or two when they can…..as for me, I carry around my “Mini-TV” to catch up on the latest TV series that I happen to be watching. Being out to sea NORMALLY leaves one with alot of time on their hands…that hasn’t been the case for me thus far, however, between the IPOD throughout the day and my laptop for like 45 minutes before I go to sleep, I have still managed to watch some TV SHOWS. Granted I was forced to give up REALITY TV…..but after not watching it for so long now, I realize it was such a waste of valuable precious time. ~~Ok who am I kidding, if we could pickup BIG BROTHER out here in the middle of nowhere I would sooo be watching that crap!! But as of late, I have been really into watching drama type TV shows. The latest I watched was JERICHO…….heres what it’s all about per w ikipedia.com: Just like any other show it sucks you right in. Probably wouldn’t have ever been interested in starting to watch it, but some of my classmates (when I was in C-school) raved about it. It’s ok. A bit far-fetched, but entertaining I suppose.Prior to that, when I first got to Japan and was stuck in a barracks room all by lonesome I watched almost two seasons of WITHOUT A TRACE I think it is pretty good. I like the forensic type stuff and how they figure out what happened and somehow manage to piece everything together to find the missing persons….Read an “about the show” excerpt courtesy of CBS.com. Ok now by far the most sick and twisted story lines *especially on network TV* belong to another favorite show of mine. Every time I watched an episode I couldn’t believe that this wasn’t RATED R…..(hell, rated X at times) but as twisted as the plots are…I am still a huge fan. Just recently I purchased a ‘copy’ of season 4 in ChinaTown in Malaysia (post to follow). Have only seen three episodes so far but by no means is season 4 a let down. I just did a search for a brief synopsis of the show to share…..and I came across “issues addressed in NipTuck” listed by “category”. I certainly wasn’t lying when I said the story lines were sick and twisted. (organ harvesting, zoolphilia, Munchausen syndrome, Apotemnophilia *didn’t even know what this stuff was till I googled it.) See I just watch the show and think….”man that was gross, odd, crazy, sick and twisted, etc. But when you see the episodes categorized….you realize how F’d up the writers really are!! Prison Break is fantastic. I watched both seasons back to back a few months ago….it was like watching a super long movie. In order to avoid spoilers….I will refrain from sharing plot info…but the title pretty much sums it up in a nutshell. PRISON BREAK One of my ultimate “faves” has to be SIX FEET UNDER

It is soo good I am going to post a “synopsis” from Amazon.com: The Fishers are your typical dysfunctional family. Ruth (Frances Conroy) is the stern matriarch who has trouble expressing emotion and snaps at the slightest problem. Daughter Claire (Lauren Ambrose) is an underachiever who cultivates a moody, mysterious loner image in high school (she’s indulging in illegal substances too). Brother David (Michael C. Hall) works in the family business, and is uptight beyond belief (he’s indulging in a secret homosexual relationship too). Elder brother Nate (Peter Krause) is the black sheep, who, eschewing responsibility, fled to Seattle but got lured back. And Dad (Richard Jenkins) watches it all bemusedly. Did we mention Dad’s dead? Oh, and that the Fisher family business is a funeral home? It might sound off-putting, but coming from the mind of Alan Ball, the man who strip-mined suburban life to find the mordant wit underneath in American Beauty, Six Feet Under is a trenchant, stylish spin on standard family dysfunction. This HBO series initially aspired to fits of Twin Peaks-like whimsy, with each episode starting with a death more outlandish than the previous, but soon settled into a comfortable groove that harkened back to the most familiar of TV family dramas (in fact, it’s almost a mirror image of ’70s drama Family, down to the three sibling archetypes). Of course, its HBO roots allowed it ample leeway with sex, drug usage, profanity, and violence. While the writing strove to be a little too clever, the overall look and tone of the show remained solid and sometimes profound (sometimes absurd too, but usually with good reason). Krause and Hall, as initially warring brothers who come to a wary understanding, are solid anchors, but it’s the women in the cast who do the most phenomenal work. Conroy infuses her almost stereotypical mom with an obstinate but ultimately accepting heart, and Ambrose’s Claire is by far the show’s most appealing character. And stealing scenes left and right is Rachel Griffith’s Brenda, a mystery woman with an outlandish backstory who meets Nate on a plane, has sex with him at the airport, and infiltrates his life. Like Brenda herself, Six Feet Under is fascinating–and highly addictive. –Mark Engleharte
The story lines, the way it was written, directed, edited, everything. I loved it. I liked it so much I wanted to purchase the series on DVD, but it was entirely too expensive. ~~That is until my recent venture into CHINATOWN Malaysia. Bought the whole series for about 30 dollars. hehehe Ok, so bout to wrap this pointless blog entry up, but yeah…so when I was inport Guam a couple of weeks ago, I attempted to download a new show off ITUNES. Its a new Showtime series called DEXTER. Its about a guy that tests “blood splatters” at crime scenes for a living. (along with being a murderer part-time…) I was only able to download two episodes ~super slow connection at our hotel~~ but it seems like it will be really good. The lead character is one of the lead characters from SIX FEET UNDER. He played David, the gay brother…..and in this show he plays a sexy, tough murder guy. Awesome. lol Ok so, living in Japan offers me all of about 4 English speaking channels and a ton of ridiculously goofy Japanese shows. So I will continue to watch my TV shows on DVD...If you have any MUST SEEs.....be sure to let me know :)

Happy Birthday SEESTER!

2007-09-02T08:00:00.000+09:00

I hope you have a SUPER HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I miss you and love you.

Malaysia

2007-08-31T08:05:00.000+09:00

Our last day in Malaysia was their Independence Day. Didn’t light any sparklers or have any BBQ picnics…..Although I did manage to get off the boat for some R&R. I did the comrel, but that wasn’t downtown so I was glad I was able to get off the boat. So yeah yesterday Malaysia celebrated 50 years of independence. It was of course, quite abit ordeal for their country. I guess they had an pretty intense fireworks show the night before last around midnight, but I was fast asleep at that time. Me and some ‘friends’ (thats a stretch) went in on a really nice room at the Dorsett Regency in Kuala Lumpur. (The capital of Malaysia) Didn’t do much….went to Hard Rock cafe to get another Hurricane glass for my growing collection. Went past the tallest buildings in the world (till 2004) Malaysia
we went to China Town... thats where the cheap DVDs and knockoff purses were.. Never much been into the whole designer bag thing so I passed on those, but did cash in on the DVDs. (as mentioned earlier, I got the entire SIX FEET UNDER series, the fourth season of NIPTUCK, My Name is Earl ~Season One and Two~ (wanted to change it up a bit & buy a comedy series….) Big Love, and the movie REIGN OVER ME. It was soooo hot, I couldn’t stand in one place for longer than about 3 minutes. Walking through this ChinaTown Market was hilarious. They were worse than the Carnies at the fair….everywhere you looked they were wanting to spray you with knock off perfume or have you try on a knock off ROLEX, or buy a knock off Louis Vuitton or Coach bag. Funny thing is, as dirty as it was there….the local ‘vendors’ were determined to keep their booth areas clean! haha

My Humble Abode

2007-08-23T21:32:00.000+09:00

My Coffin Rack
Originally uploaded by alishainjapan

Someone requested photos of where I sleep/live, etc. So at the bottom of this post I am posting a link to some photos of where I currently "reside." In a few short weeks though, I will be renting a place out in the Japanese community--and I cannot wait!! My own bed, fast internet connection, and a new TV....yippee...(oh and the ability to make phonecalls) However, when I am deployed this is where I sleep, shower, etc. I currently have a bottom rack because I chose not to "evict" any of the current "tenants".....however technically I could have (Rank has its privileges) So until a more desireable rack becomes available.....I will keep on assuming the "corpse position" and slide into my bottom COFFIN rack every night. If you notice, there is a plastic/rubber type piece of cloth laying over my sheet...that is meant to cover up my sheets (since the racks are THREE HIGH) so the females above me don't get dirty footprints on my sheets. You might think I get stepped on alot, but that is what that red thing is in front of that mat.....they are "SUPPOSED" to step on it instead of my mattress....usually that is the case, but not all the time... There are roughly 34 E-6 and below females on board this ship and they ALL SLEEP in one berthing. But surprisingly I have not had a problem as far as waiting for a shower or anything. I get up a little earlier than the other females so its never really an issue.. I am done typing right now and I am going down to get in my awesome rack.....

Happy Birthday Li'l Brudder

2007-08-06T18:08:00.000+09:00

I miss you tons Li'l Brudder.....You need to come out here to Japan! You would love it! Hope you have a super duper birfday! Love ya!

So here goes...

2007-08-02T15:45:00.000+09:00

Ok so I NEVER have been good at keeping up with journaling, blogging, writing in a diary or anything of the sort. I always liked the idea of it, but never kept up with it. I feel like my “entries” would be uneventful and/or boring. Until now, I have decided that I am going to write this for me. If you are reading this well then super. But I am going to do this for me. So it doesn’t matter what I write about, what I don’t write about, who I write about, what mood I am in when I write. This is just my virtual therapy I suppose. Venting via the proxy if you will. I figured my moving to Japan is blog-worthy so I will start now. Granted I have only spent two weeks there (then I flew to Australia to meet the ship) but in about a month we will be pulling back in and I will find me a place to live out in town and then I am sure the blogging inputs will be plentiful. I suppose if I blog from now until then it will be about good ole’ shipboard life….to me thats BLAH but to some thats interesting. So yeah…this is where I am going to give my updates and such from now on so BOOKMARK this page if you want to keep up on what Alisha is up to… and lets just see how long this bloggin business lasts. Till next time~