Sassymoo does Japan

The sickie

2012-02-13T04:36:00.001-08:00

Recent stuff

2012-02-12T05:43:00.000-08:00

Well, howdy folks! It's been a while. How about a quick update on what's been going on here?

-sassyfriend and her family have been staying for almost 2 weeks and are leaving tomorrow. It has been lovely having sassyfriend and fam here, and not just because they cook and wash the dishes. We have had many a lovely chat and could catch up more than we have in 12 years of me living in Japan, even with me working everyday. Sassyhusband is an origami genius and has kept princess P entertained with some seriously cool origami. I have had some lovely cuddles from sassybaby and king n has loved playing with sassykid.
the weather has been cold as shit which has made outings difficult but we managed to have fun and sassyfriend was able to spend a small fortune on 100 yen shop goods, and sassyhusband on origami paper. And we ate lots of yummy things!!!! I'll be sad when they leave tomorrow.
-but this morning princess p woke up with a raging fever. It started at 38.6 degrees and in half an hour had jumped to 39.7. I am typing this from the children's hospital where we are waiting to see the doctor. Princess p just had a cotton swab shoved up her nostril to test for flu which she really didn't like. I don't blame you kid. That can't be comfortable for anybody. If it turns out to be the flu that's a week off kindy for princess p with king n or myself staying home with her.
-I am quite happy to stay with her since I have an awful cold at the moment and feel like shit. But I certainly don't want to catch the flu being pregnant....
-I had a baby doc appointment on Friday night where I got the results of the routine blood tests. It seems I have a high level of rubella antibodies in my system. The doctor explained it to me as within those antibodies there are 2 types, old and new. I had to do another blod test to find out which and the results will be back in 10 days. If the result comes back as old antibodies then I have nothing to worry about. But if they come back as new antibodies then I may have come in contact with the virus recently which can be bad for the baby. Japanese doctor seem to either have no tact or just like breaking bad news because he was telling me about birth defects and abortions if the baby. Awesome way to scare the pregnant lady and I left the consultation in tears. I haven't knowingly been exposed to rubella since falling pregnant so I'm pretty sure it will be ok, but until the test test results come in I'm going to be worrying.
-at least the morning sickness has finally letup. Except on the train to and from work so I think it has mutated into travel sickness. So only 10 hours a week feeling sick instead of feeling sick constantly. Definitely a step up!
--------------------------
Ok, we just saw the doc and she has the flu. Shit!
He says I should get tested tomorrow and go see my obstetrician just in case. Everyone cross your fingers that I don't get it, please please please.

When will it end???

2012-01-27T04:18:00.000-08:00

Morning sickness and first trimester exhaustion!!!!

I feel like I`ve had an unending hangover for the past 2 months.

Baby, this is mommy speaking. Put down the hormones and skip straight to the 2nd trimester. Cheers. Thanks awfully.

I heard back from my boss today about what`s going to happen from April.
I`m not going to be working.
But I will be given an open contract so I can return to work whenever I`m ready. I`ll also be a `company employee`. I`m not entirely sure what that entails but it is a positive thing. And Poppy can go to school for half price while I`m not working. All things considered, this isn`t too bad. It`s going to suck that from April money is going to be tight, but having 4 months to relax before the baby is born is sounding pretty nice. To be able to clean the house properly, cook decent meals, do homework with princess P, have time to exercise.... sounds amazing. Those things are close to impossible now, and to be honest, pretty difficult even before I got pregnant.
So I suppose the trade off for this free-time is a pay-cheque.
BUT....
King N is toying with the idea of being a `house husband`. I wonder how serious he is about it though. When I was pregnant with princess P I suggested the very same thing to him and he was absolutely shocked that I would suggest such a thing. `What would my friends say!` were his exact words, accompanied by a look of absolute discust. Talk about a turn around! I think I would be OK with King N being the baby`s primary care-giver and me heading back to work. With commute times, working hours and pay cheque it really makes sense for me to be the one working. King N works long hours for shit pay near bloody Kyoto! I suppose once I actually pop the baby out I might find it harder to say goodbye and chuff off to work but in my head its a good idea.

I have my next baby doctor`s appointment tomorrow. I have been very careful with what I eat so I`m pretty sure the nurse won`t go crazy at me like they are known to here in Japan about weight gain. And afterwards I`m having the biggest, refined carb laden lunch possible before settling back into healthy eating until my next appointment. Why do carbs have to be so darn tasty?!?! I wish to god french fries had never been invented.

Well, its just past 9pm and I am having trouble staying awake. I fucking hate being this tired. So off to bed it is for me and Pickle, who will no doubt be waking me up every 3 hours until morning to pee.

Goodnight all.
Mwah
Sassymoo.

When things go pear-shaped...

2012-01-21T04:50:00.000-08:00

A couple of blog posts ago (see: It needs to be said), I wrote about how I was putting off getting pregnant so as not to fuck up my work transfer.

2 days after said blog post, I found out I was pregnant.

Oops.

So here I am now, 12 weeks pregnant and have just told my company about it.

And..... I've fucked up my transfer.

Well, to be more precise, they can't renew my contract because I'm pregnant, but they'll see what can be worked out.

Fucking Awesome.

Princess P still has her place in the new school but unless I'm working for the company I will have to pay full price for her to go, which I can't afford if I'm not working..... So worst case scenario, bye bye good education and working mum, hello poverty.

Well, not exactly poverty but certainly not easy.

So while I`m very excited to have a little pickle growing inside me, work has gone all pear-shaped and I`m feeling pretty down to be honest. I guess once I hear back from my company I can move on to making a new plan. At least my boss is a really nice Scottish bloke who has always been good to me. I know he`ll do his best to help me, but sadly he`s bound by company policy and may not be able to do much. Fingers crossed though.
And constant morning sickness really makes things feel worse than they really are. Here`s hoping that the it disapears soon and at least that part of me will go back to feeling ok.

I will try to write a bubbly baby post next time. I really am very happy to be pregnant. Just bad timing is all.

The price of happiness...

2012-01-01T22:30:00.001-08:00

The New Year has rolled in so off to a shrine we went with Corinne and her family. Since we are wonderful mummies, we lined up to buy the kids a balloon each. Normally I balk at buying balloons as they are soon lost or destroyed but it's New Years, I thought, get the kid a balloon. And after buying it, I have decided that I'm in the wrong business. I should be working the shrine scene on new years selling balloons.

This little piece of helium filled happiness cost 1100 yen!!!!!
That's
11 euros
$14.20 US dollars
$13.97 AU dollars
9.21 british pounds
$14.56 Canadian dollars
and
$18.36 NZ dollars.

OMG what a freaking price hike on balloons!!!

But wait, I got off easy with princess P's 'sweet pre-cure' balloon. Poor Corinne bought an 'Ampanman' balloon, the most loved character for the 0-3 year old age group. She almost had a heart attack at the whooping price of 2000 yen!!!!!
That's
20 euros
$25.98 US dollars
$25.43 AU dollars
16.75 British pounds
$26.50 Canadian dollars
and
33.40 NZ dollars

For.A.Fucking.Balloon.

Maybe it's just me, but isn't that a ridiculous, outrageous price to pay for a balloon?!?!?!? Have you every paid that much for a balloon????
No wonder there were no prices listed on the balloon stall! Of course every kid wants a balloon, but any parent seeing that price would have quickly dragged their kid off in the other direction!
So, we got well and truly suckered today. Turns out the price of happiness is 3100 yen....

Mwah!
Sassymoo

Forever.

2011-12-19T22:23:00.001-08:00

Today's blog is coming to you from the Kobe Immigration Center where I am currently sitting, waiting for my new visa.

Soon, I will be a

PERMANENT RESIDENT

of Japan.

The best things about getting this visa are that I won't need to apply for a visa ever again!!!! Goodbye paperwork and long waits!!!

It also means that if King N kicks the bucket, or I decide to divorce his ass, Japan can't kick me out!!!!
Woo hoo!!!!!!

In other news, as I have time while I wait...

-my school's Christmas concert had been keeping me super busy and was finally finished on the 10th. My class did well although a few kids were crying. But hey, most of them aren't even 2 years old yet so good for them for even getting up on the stage.
Princess P's class did a play of the Hungry caterpillar. P was a strawberry and she looked very cute. However, as my husband didn't take any photos of her in her costume, you'll just have to use your imaginations.

-the company Christmas party was on Friday night at a huge Italian restaurant in Osaka. All the staff from the kansai branches of Kinder Kids were treated to an evening of free food and drinks! I've never seen so many drunk gaijin in one place before! Brilliant night and a well needed good time after a long and busy year.

-this week I'm teaching Winter School. I kinda regret signing up to do it but at least it's only 4 half days then I'm on vacation for 2 and a half weeks!!!

-no big plans for my vacation yet. There may be a trip to Kyushuu to visit MIL's father but I kinda doubt King N will get that planned and sorted. I want to do some reading, catching up on sleep, taking it easy. However I'm sure princess P will be asking me 'mummy, where are we going today?', 'mummy, what are we doing today?' before 10am on Friday morning. My holiday will more likely be filled with cupcake baking, freezing park visits and making castles out of cardboard boxes. I wonder if she'll let me take a Kip in the castle....

5 mins later....

I got it, I got it, I got it!!!!!
I'm a permanent resident!!!
I think I might take pops out for sushi to celebrate!

Mwah!
Sassymoo

It needs to be said.

2011-11-24T04:56:00.000-08:00

So, reading a comment on my last post made me realize that I haven`t updated on King N recently.
It needs to be said that things are much better.
He still works too late but he isn`t coming home and playing playstation games anymore.
He actually stays up late to study English now!
Huge turn around.
For the last few months he has been studying really hard for the TOEIC test. He has set himself a 1 year study schedule and is really hoping to get at least an 800 score in order to be able to get a new job. He spends his 3 hours a day commute listening to vocab CDs and comes home and does textbook study after dinner. On weekends I give him and his friend a 2 hour lesson and he studies while P and I go out to meet friends.
I am honestly amazed at his dedication to his goal.
And I have no idea how he does it. I guess his job isn`t physically taxing so he doesn`t get too tired at work. I wish I had his stamina. I`m lucky if I have the energy to come home and cook dinner after work. I just typed cook work after dinner.... Yes, I`m that tired.
So, things are quite a bit happier around here in the sassymoo house.
Things are certainly not perfect but getting slowly better.
As for work, it's crazy busy. Big Christmas concert in the works with practice, dress rehersals, elaborate costumes, etc. My boss from head office came today to check on how the kids were coming along. My class is doing fine, phew! The good thing was I got to talk to him about a transfer to a closer branch next year and it looks pretty good. He said he'd check for a space for princess p and black it out for her so she can transfer in with me next year. It's going to be a good change, even though my work place now is awesome and I`ll mis it. The commute is awful though. I will not miss rush hour trains. I can ride my bicycle to the new place, and if P gets sick, it's about 10 minutes drive for her grandpa to pick her up. P will also be able to meet and make friends with kids who live close enough to see again. They won't be going to the same elementary school but playdates will be do-able.
So, in order to not mess up getting the transfer, I have put off getting pregnant until the new school year starts. Timing wise, that is better. Once I'm transferred I can stay there indefinitely and taking maternity leave will be fine and P will still be able to go there until she graduates. Life will certainly be easier if I can work closer to home. The only problem will be that we will be riding past P's favorite icecream shop every day.... I have to admit that I`m a bit bummed about having to put off having a baby. But if I got pregnant now (Or before February) I wouldn`t be placed in nursery class and I most likely wouldn`t get the school I want. If I can get the transfer, it will still be possible, and affordable, to get P to kindy everyday when I`m on maternity leave. In the long run, having a baby will be easier if I wait. So, fingers crossed it all works out!
So, that's the important things updated.
Time for bed. Sweet dreems.
Mwah.
Sassymoo

Questions and answers.

2011-11-05T09:58:00.000-07:00

Finally, a bit of blog inspiration! Thank you Spanna and Gaijin Wife. So here are the questions and my answers....
1. What do you love about Japan?
To be honest, I like the lack of expectation.
As someone who fears responsibility, the fact that many things here are just blown off as me `being foreign` means less fall out when I screw up. If I screwed something up back home I would be expected to take full responsibility for it and that sort of pressure would drive me crazy.
Probably not the answer you were hoping for, hey Span.
I can also say that I love teaching here. Probably again due to me being foreign. But I get dozens of hugs a day from my kids and that is fine here. The rules and regulations are much less. Well, at least for foreign teachers anyway.
I like that my life functions in 2 languages. I like that I switch between English and Japanese uncountable times a day almost seemlessly. Of course there are so many things I can`t do in Japanese, and may never be able to, but I won`t lose my Japanese. I like the respect I get for just trying my best to do things in Japanese.
I love festivals in summer and eating ramen whenever I like in winter. I love good, cheap sushi. I love drinking in izakayas and singing drunk at karaoke.
2. What do you miss most about australia besides family and me?
I do miss understanding everything that`s going on. My life is often like a big puzzle that I`m guessing my way through. I miss BBQs and friends who just pop over cause they are in the neighbourhood. I miss shopping in a country where clothes fit me but I guess my wallet is lucky that I live here. I miss walking aound and seeing people who are fatter than me. I miss wearing clothing that is low cut without feeling self-conscious about it.
I miss fish and chips by the beach and sitting outside at a coffee shop with an iced coffee and a magazine.
3.Tell us more about P? Does she like school? What does her and your day at school consist of? Do you see her alot or is she off on her own?
P has certainly grown into a strong willed little girl. She makes me laugh and scream every day. She jabbers away constantly, usually in English, but every so often in Japanese. Considering her week is predominately conducted in English, those moments when she speaks so clearly and fluently in Japanese amaze me. Where does she find the time to pick it up? She loves kindy. She loves her friends and has become better at listening to her teachers and paying attention in class. She loves singing and dancing time and often shakes her arse about while singing `oshiri, oshiri` at the top of her lungs. We commute to and from kindy together, about 2.5 hours a day. My patience and good parenting is usually stretched to the max during this time. Rush hour isn`t easy when I`m alone so navigating it with a noisy 4 year old with painted-on ears is close to nightmare proportions some days. Fortunately it is better than when we first started. During the day I teach my class in the morning and Poppy does her Kinder 1 class. I have my break around 1:30pm after my kids start nap time and then teach daycare to both the preschool kids and kinder kids in the afternoon. So depending on the schedule, I usually get to see Poppy when the kids are all playing outside, then maybe during snack shift, activity time or video time. It`s nice to get to see her a bit during the day but she gets a bit clingy when she`s tired so if I have her during video shift its a bit difficult. Then we commute home when the day is done. When we get home its straight into dinner, bath and bed. It`s a busy and tiring schedule. Fingers crossed I can transfer to a school closer to home next year. But in general, no complaints.

4. What are the 5 top things that make you want to leave King N? Or rather just fuck you off no end.
This is an interesting question considering I`ve just come out of a long `I want to leave my husband` period. The biggest point is by far his working hours. But other than that....
1. He`s boring- Not necessarily a bad thing, but I often want to be out doing things and he doesn`t and I feel he`s holding me back sometimes.
2. He is a clean freak- We both work fulltime so the cleaning rarely gets done in a timely manner. I have made my peace with this but King N hasn`t. It bothers him that the house isn`t perfect and has no time to do it either. I can see it bothering him and feel guilty that I am too busy and tired to do it. So his clean freakishness rubs me the wrong way.
3. He doesn`t/can`t/won`t talk dirty- He can`t really get his desire across in a sexy way. And I like to hear that I`m wanted so this point is one that bothers me a bit.
4. He doesn`t listen to me- As in whole conversations can go by and he doesn`t retain any of the information. Later, when said infromation is brought up, he gets a stupid look on his face and has no idea what I`m talking about. When it comes to things to do with P, or things I`ve asked him to help me with, I get super annoyed.
5. He likes to have everything planned and budgeted- That said, his plans and budgets are usually too elaborate to be followed long term, even for him, so they usually fail and he feels bad, making me feel bad. It also means there is very little spontinaity in our lives which at times makes me very sad and sometimes very angry.
Hmmm, That list took me all of 8 seconds to think of. Bad sign?

5.Do you ever think life would have been more fun or better if you'd married in Australia?
I have no doubt that life would have been more fun if we`d settled in OZ. I would see my family and friends and actually have a social life. There would be BBQs, drinking,and hours and hours of talking. It would definately have been easier for me without the language barrier, but harder for King N. Work would have been harder for both of us. I think family problems would have eventually reared thier ugly head as certain members of my family like to get angrily explode then pretend nothing ever happened. That style of fighting is so unhealthy and I`m pretty confrontational these days so ineviablly I would have a falling out with a family member and life wouldn`t be so rosy. Being here I am away from my family, but I`m also out of the drama and not causing any drama myself. I think I am best loved from afar.

6. Hmmmm, how many times a week do you shag and hows baby number 2 coming along? as in are you still trying?
I think we average twice a week for shagging. More if King N comes home early during the week. But who am I kidding, that rarely happens these days. As for Baby number 2, the subject has come up.
After my last pregnancy scare I had a good think about having another baby as I felt pretty disappointed when there was no baby. It was something I`d wanted but we`d put off at King N`s insistance that we couldn`t afford one. He pretty much said if I saved up 60 man yen he would consider having a second baby. But with P turning 4 and my biological clock ticking away, I didn`t think waiting was such a good idea after all. So we talked about it and we fought about it. He wanted it planned out precicely, even expecting me to write out a saving plan and schedule. I was more of the mind that we`d just shag without a condom and deal with the results. We had a BIG fight about it. Serious word were said. After time apart for a weekend and lots of thinking I told him that if we weren`t on the same page with a family and future together then it was time to call it quits. To either go forward 100% or say goodbye. It wasn`t just the baby thing, but other issues as well. Needless to say that was a very scary conversation, but one that I needed to have, regardless of the outcome. More discussion followed and finally we decided to move forward together. Despite his faults, King N is a great guy and I`m glad we worked things out. So, I`m off the pill and off all other medications I was on and am getting my body ready for a possible baby in the future. I guess come January, we`ll kick the shagging up a notch if I haven`t got knocked up by then.

Wow, blogging is heaps easier with questions. Please keep asking me questions and I`ll blog more often.
Mwah!
Sassymoo

Question me

2011-11-04T04:37:00.001-07:00

OK, blog mojo has gone AWOL.
I need sone inspiration.
Ask me a question.
Anything....
Mwah!
Sassymoo

A small request

2011-10-27T06:19:00.001-07:00

Dear Inlaws,
I would like to sincerely thank you for watching Princess P today.

However, for future reference, 5pm until 7pm is really not a good nap-time when my child's bedtime is 8:30pm. Said child is currently dancing crazy around the living room with no end in sight.
Thanks for that.
Sincerely
Sassymoo

P.S. Here is an example of P's crazy dancing.

A response.

2011-10-21T03:03:00.001-07:00

Dear King N,
In regards to your email sent from the sofa after already waking me up for confirmation as to whether I fed the cats or not, I put forth the following as an excuse to why I forgot to feed the cats.

My day yesterday:
Woke up.
Got ready for work.
Fed Princess P and got her settled in front of the TV as you'd dipped into the bathroom for a 'quick shower' despite me having to leave for work early.
Cycled to the station.
Braved rush hour.
Walked to work.
Got ready to paint with my baby class.
Painted with baby class.
Sang songs and danced like an idiot for baby class.
Straight into nursery class.
Played, circle time, then painting with Nursery class.
Lunch with nursery class.
Cleaning up after 16 nursery kids finished lunch.
This includes scrubbing the floor.
Washed large amount of painting equipment.
Afternoon circle time.
Please note that nursery class had been in a crazy mood all day.
Lunch break time but stayed to help the daycare teachers get nursery class to sleep as they are running crazy.
Then, still during my break, wrote a final plan for the big important Christmas concert to submit to head office.
Break time over without actually having had a break.
Straight outside with the kinder classes.
Kinder lessons all afternoon.
Home time.
Walked to the station.
Quick stop at the 100 yen shop to buy baskets to organize P's kindy clothes and make our living room less of a tip. Per your request.
Rush hour home.
Rode bicycle to the inlaws house to pick up sick princess P.
Made a huge effort to have a nice conversation with your family despite impending migraine.
Took P home and got her settled drawing.
Made dinner.
Chatted to sister B who I haven't talked to in a long time.
Bathed P and get her in bed.
Read 2 stories.
Helped her sleep.
Took a shower.
Tidied the living room.
Princess P woke up crying so I settled her.
I took a quick shower.
At 11:12pm I got into bed and promptly fell asleep.
Only to be woken half an hour later by you demanding to know about the cats.
Obviously if they are meowing at you and there is no food in their bowl then I forgot to feed them. Why did you need to wake me up, quite angrily to check when you already knew the answer? Not nice King N.
No need to be a bastard about it.
I JUST FUCKING FORGOT!
It's not like I spent the day painting my nails and watching daytime tv.
And considering I then had to get up and deal with a vomiting princess P from 3-4am, I'm now very very tired and in a very, very bad mood.
I hope you fuck off to work tomorrow cause I don't want to see you. Petty arsehole that you are.
Sincerely
Your very
Pissed off wife.
Mwah!
Sassymoo

Swarming

2011-10-18T17:55:00.001-07:00

The vestlings are swarming at the doctor's office today. All out for their influenza vaccinations.

Princess P loves vestlings. She loves being fawned over.

Princess P decided to give them all a sticker.

I'm sure that cheered the vestlings up.
Mwah!
Sassymoo

Sex friends.

2011-10-13T07:34:00.000-07:00

Time for another blast from the past story.

New Zealand Guy.

I met him at a bar...duh. Where else did I ever meet guys back then. He was with his best friend, Canadian guy. They were both ALTs working at high schools around Tokushima. They were always together and the 3 or us became the best of friends. Both were funny and we had great fun going out drinking together. We went to bars and clubs together, and even frequented the local gay bar with some of Canadian guy's friends on a regular basis.
In terms of looks they were both nice looking, with NZ guy being blonde with a cheeky smile, and brunette Canadian Guy having an awesome sense of humor and a dazzling smile to match.
One night, after the evil-in-liquid-form shots were done and kicking in, it was time to head home.... with one of them.
Weighing pros and cons when you're drunk is not easy. Both boys were equal in my mind and I didn't really value either over the other. My drunken mind picked NZ boy, purely for the fact that his home country was closer to mine. Drunken Sassymoo thought that was an excellent reason to pick up a guy and shag him. Even though I knew that NZ guy wasn't interested in a relationship I decided to pursue him anyway.
It took all of 2 seconds for him to agree, grab my hand and start pulling me to a taxi, all the while waving goodby to a sad looking Canadian guy.
It was about a year and a half later, after he had already gone home to Canada and was back for a visit, that I found out he had been in love with me right up until that second.
Damn my drunken reasoning, but the past is the past. I do wish he had told me earlier though....
Anyway, mustn't dwell. He's now married to a beautiful girl and very happy.
NZ boy was a good shag, despite the tequila haze. A bit demanding in the BJ department but I suppose a girl's gotta learn sometime. King N now reaps the rewards of that particular relationship.
Sex friends, shag buddies, friends with benefits, whatever you like to call it, that was our relationship. It lasted through my moving cities, up until he moved back to New Zealand. So more than a year.
Before moving to a new city and a new job, I went home for a holiday. When i came back to Japan, he came and picked me up from my hotel near the airport, a 4 hour drive, and then drove me to my new city and apartment, both of which I'd never seen before. Another 3 hours of driving. He stayed with me for a couple of days while i got settled before heading back to Tokushima. When I needed a date for something or other he would drive up and be my date. He was really quite dependable for someone I wasn't tied to. He came up once to go to a big fireworks festival with me and my work friends. We got separated from my friends when the fireworks ended and the immense crowd rushed to train station. I had no hope of finding my friends. I was a bit too drunk for my own good and there were some rough people around. At the train station where we lined up, a group of drunk guys were very interested in my foreigness and the conversation was getting a bit much. Lots of insisting that we go drinking and one guy pulled my arm and started pulling me down the street. At this point NZ guy said he couldn't be arsed waiting for the train that would be a 2 hour wait. He guided me quickly to the nearby taxi stand and we took a taxi home to my place, over an hour's drive away. But we got home quickly and without being hassled by drunken train commmuters.
I don't really know why this moment stands out. Maybe the feeling that he was protecting me? Really cared? And of course shagging him wearing my yukata. It's a skilled man who can get a drunken gaijin out of a yukata. I'm sure we disturbed the neighbors that night.
I was sad to say goodbye to NZ guy when he went back home, but that's how it is here. Too many goodbyes. Of all the sex friends I've had, i think this relationship was the least complicated and finished with both of us on good terms and still friends.
Nothing particularly raunchy or crowd pleasing about this post but I'm feeling all warm and fuzzy writing it down.

Mwah!
Sassymoo

Druuuuunk

2011-10-07T08:20:00.001-07:00

Had a company meeti g today and went out drinking with my work mates from Ashiya after. Am now waiting for the last train and Hopi g I make my connectio. This platform is spinning.
Fucking good night though!

Mwah!
Sassymoo

Another time filler

2011-09-28T06:43:00.000-07:00

No time to post properly. So will have to be a quickie. I saw the 'A-Z of me' on a blog I read today so will nick the idea for my post today.
A: Age- 33
B: Bed Size- double and comfy. Usually has an univited 3 year old sleeping in it.
C: Chore that you hate- cooking. I loathe cooking, especially after a long day at work.
D: Dog- 1 small yappy halfu. Malteze cross shitsu.
E: Essential start to your day- a wake up call and at least 30 minutes to wake up slowly. On days where i dont get this, a redbull.
F: Favorite color- japan-induced pink
G: Gold or Silver- white gold.
H: height-160cms. Must wear heels.
I: instrument you play- teacher voice
J: Job- nursery teacher
K: Kids- 1 drama queen about to turn 4.
L: Lives- in Kawanishi City, Hyogo.
M: Mother's name- Mamar.
N: Nicknames- Sassymoo
O: Overnight stays in hospital- just once for giving birth. 5 days total after 2 days of them trying to induce me. Yeah, that wasn`t fun.
P: Pet peeves- mothers who dont supervise or discipline their kids.
Q: Quote from a movie- From `Team America`

Gary Johnston: A limousine that can fly? Now I have seen everything!

Spottswoode: Have you seen a man eat his own head?

Gary Johnston: No.

Spottswoode: Then you haven't seen everything.

R: Right or left handed- Right
S: Siblings- Older brother and 3 sisters. I`m one third of triplets.
T: Time I wake up- 7ish on work days. On other days, whenever Princess P wakes me and can`t be palmed off to daddy.
U: Underwear- Yes.
V: Vegetable that I hate- Ocra, Yamaimo, Renkon.
W: What makes you run late- Crappy time management.
X: Xrays you`ve had- Most recent, my right foot.Turned out to be a fatigue fracture.
Y: Yummy food you make- When I actually bake, my cinnamon rolls are pretty good.
Z: Zoo animals- Giraffes.

Well, that didn`t turn out as interesting as it was in my head. Oh well, yay you if you read this far.
Mwah.
Sassymoo.

Hip-hopping my ass off

2011-09-24T07:20:00.001-07:00

Well, hip hop is

FREAKING HARD!!!!

I'm such a white girl.

At least my shoes are cute.
Mwah!
Sassymoo

Time filler

2011-09-23T03:46:00.000-07:00

Quick catch up post.
I have a `blast from the past` story in the works but its been a crap week so not sure when I`ll get around to finishing it. I decided to write about NZ Guy due to a recent reminder of him. But in the meantime....
*I am VERY not pregnant right now. I started being not pregnant on Monday, my work/P`s kindy`s big annual sports day. So not a great day to not be pregnant!!! I think I only had 1 (well timed) bathroom break all day. Fortunately most of the liquid in my body was exiting via my sweat glands anyway.
*Sports Day was good both as a teacher and parent. I was busy but could still watch Princess P doing her races and dances. The only down point is that I couldn`t take photos since I was working. King N took some for me, and video, but didn`t catch some of the moments I would have liked on film. But all in all a good day.
*The week approaching Sports day, I got sick. More days of feeling like I was going to vomit culminating in 39.4 degree that went on for about 3 days. Nothing sux like being sick and run-off-you-feet busy at work. Friday felt like it was a dream, like I wasn`t really there. It might have been the meds that King N got from his grandma to give me. At least they got me through a tough day and I got all the stuff done for Sports day.
*The day after sports day, Poppy got sick. Her fever was 37.3 degrees when we went to kindy. An hour and a half later her teacher checked her because she was just being too quite compared to her usual self. Temp shot up to 38.1 degrees. So I had to leave work and take her home. After lunch and a nap we got ready for our 4:10 pm doctor appointment and I checked again. 39.4 degrees! The doc checked her and said she had herpangina. Her throat was hurting but the medicine seemed to help that and the fever. Mummy was a tired wreck though.
*Long weekend as of today. We went shopping with my SIL and my nephew. Tomorrow night I`m joining C at her hip hop dance class for a trial lesson and then drinking afterwards. It`s going to be hilarious since I`m freaking unco-ordinated. Maybe I should do the drinking before the dancing.....
OK, time to go watch some TV and relax a bit.
Mwah.
Sassymoo.

She`s turning J-girl

2011-09-11T06:10:00.000-07:00

Poor little princess p.

My soon-to-be 4 year old is already she's turning into a J-girl.
Today we were getting ready to go to Costco and I told princess p to go put her shoes on. When I walked out to the door a minute later she was pulling on her black boots. Nix socks.

Yes, it's technically autumn in Japan but it's 32 degrees out today! Boots should not be the foot wear of choice.
On the 1st of September I noted on the train that girls were wearing boots despite the heat. The actual temperature dictates NOTHING in this country, the season does. So, many a trend-following J-girl pulled out the boots to celebrate the fact that they COULD, and probably had sweaty feet all day. Fine for them.

Not fine when my soon-to-be-4 year old does it. But in a rush and with no time to change, off we went.
I had to help her take the bloody boots off as soon as the car was moving. Then again when she was sitting in the shopping cart, and every time we got in and out of the car ALL FREAKING DAY!!!!

She also has a major addiction to lip gloss. Anytime I put on chap stick, she needs her gloss. Or even when she just remembers `gloss` she HAS to put it on.
Pink. Sparkly. Gloss.
She even wears it to Kindergarten.
I thought it was cute. But I realized she had a problem when we went out for king n`s birthday the other night.
She glossed in the car. She glossed in the pet shop as we were early and waiting for our reservation. She glossed in the car park as we walked across to the restaurant. She insisted on holding her gloss which is usually kept in my bag. Throughout dinner she kept demanding gloss.
I had to make a `no gloss until you finish your icecream!` rule.

Read that again...... OMG I`m such a shit parent! 2 bribes in 1 sentence.
And she did not forget and as soon as the icecream was done she was back demanding gloss.

She is also very picky about clothes, shoes and hair, and getting more so as her sense of independence grows. She also has started commenting about my `cute` outfits. Few as they are.

I think we need a good long trip to OZ to help curb the J-girl gene. She needs sandy beach hair, flip flops and sunburnt cheeks for a while.

I will start the J-girl detox by throwing away that damn gloss!

Mwah!
Sassymoo

Feeling seedy

2011-09-07T16:32:00.001-07:00

There are 3 possible reasons for this, and surprisingly none of them involve alcohol.

1. Persistent stomach bug.
2. Delayed reaction to the ant bites I got on the weekend.
3. Pregnancy.

Now, I've been queezy going on 4 days now. Feeling hot and cold, have an aversion to certain smells and don't feel like eating anything sweet.

Now I know you are all thinking number 3, but I did a test yesterday and it was negative. Also, after intense calculations, the only unprotected sex king n and I have had was birthday sex on Sunday and a possible mishap 2 weeks ago. Surely morning sickness wouldn't hit that fast so I'm pretty much ruling number 3 out.
So number 1 is looking pretty good. But I've never gotten a stomach bug that only made me feel queezy and not made me run for the toilet.
As for number 3, I can't remember ever being bitten by an ant before and have no idea if it could cause the symptoms I'm having. I would have assumed that any reaction would have come immediately after the bite. But the area is still red and the opposite side of my leg got all itchy on Monday and after scratching it perhaps too much, is all purple and looks bruised. That has never happened with a normal itch before.

So let us ponder my 4 day queasiness and feel free to add your 2 cents worth.

Mwah!
Sassymoo

Fucking Ant!

2011-09-03T01:28:00.001-07:00

The bastard crawled up my jeans to my thigh then bit me.
3 times!!!!!!
And it fucking hurts!

OWWWW!!!!!

Sassymoo

Shit is browner on the other side.

2011-09-02T06:53:00.001-07:00

I've always been a 'grass is greener...' kind of girl.
Never particularly happy with what I had.
Always wanting more from people, jobs, life.
Always envying what other people had.
Things they did.
Seemingly wonderful lives that seemed so unattainable to me.

But you know what.

As green as the grass may seem, there is always shit hiding in it, whether you see it or not.

People rarely show their true selves or talk honestly about the shit going on in their lives so it's easy to perceive other people's lives as being better/easier/greener.

But the blogsphere has opened my eyes to the true reality of life. There are some people who speak freely and openly about their lives, and their shit.

A blog friend who recently lost her mother to cancer found out today that her dad has cancer.

It is so unfair that there aren't even words to describe it.

SHIT.

And not a fucking thing I can do or say to make her feel better.

GW-My house is always open and fully stocked with booze anytime you need to get away.

Most of us are lucky enough to just have everyday shit to deal with.

I'm feeling pretty lucky right now.

Mwah!
Sassymoo

Recent Crap

2011-08-30T22:30:00.001-07:00

Well, all my blogging time has been sucked away with work, house guest, family and sleep. 10 days holiday went way too quickly.

Work is good. it's the one constant in my life that both challenges me and is something I enjoy. The only complaint I have is there is nowhere to go during my break to just sit and relax. Our staff room is tiny and all the classrooms are in use at all times so if I want to go and relax I have to go to a nearby restaurant or take a walk. But sometimes I don't want to do either, like today, so I am squished onto a corner of the staff room with my headphones on trying to block out everything. If only there were a Starbucks nearby....

I guess my house guest didn't really suck away my blogging time. In fact, he was barely here. Welcome to hotel sassymoo. I've only had one visit from friends in out new house that I really enjoyed. This wasn't it. (Jon and Ai, please come back! You cooked, cleaned and made an effort to spend time with us. You are welcome anytime!!!)

Family....
Well, I've had enough of king n and his sofa sleeping habit. Last night he slept there again. He left the dog and 2 of the cats roaming the house. The cats woke princess p up so I had to shoo them and then get her back to sleep. I went back to bed and eventually went back to sleep. Then the dog was barking and scratching on the living room door trying to get in to king n. But he sleeps like the dead and I was the one woken up. Again. Had to go diwnstairs and put the dog in the living room.
Shit, if he just came home quietly, ate his dinner without bashing around in the kitchen and then fell asleep on the sofa with all the pets in with him I probably wouldn't have such a problem with it. But he wakes me and/or princess p up almost every bloody night and this broken sleep is making me more of a grumpy cow than usual.
This morning I told him to eat dinner somewhere before coming home so the food would have time to settle before he got home and then to come to bed like a normal person.
I'm also taking the cord to the playstation to bed with me from now on.
Let's see if that works.

Mwah!
Sassymoo

NO MORE !!!

PMS tantrums

2011-08-22T05:38:00.000-07:00

I`ve been too busy having PMS tantrums all weekend to post.

EVERYTHING seems so much worse than it probably, maybe, really might actually be, and I am quick to cry or bitch slap depending on the situation in front of me.

King N can`t brush Princess P`s hair - Bitch slap.
Friend going out drinking without mne - Cry.
King N going to a movie alone because I told him to - Cry.
`I love you mummy` - Cry.
King N actually sleeping in our bed - Bitch slap.

I know, I know, there`s no rhyme or reason to it.

I love you, I hate you, I love you, I hate you, I love you, I hate you, I love you, I hate you,
a million times a day.

Really, King N should retreat to the in-laws house when my PMS rears its ugly head because no matter what he does or says I`m either going to burst into tears of bitch slap him.
Poor man.
Mwah.
Sassymoo.

Arm Fat Guy

2011-08-20T08:54:00.000-07:00

Due to popular demand, my next blast-from-the-past story will be about arm-fat-guy.

So, I have arm fat.

It is my worst feature and the very last place I ever lose weight from. It goes from my boobs first sadly. Even now with fairly good self-confidence I am ashamed of my arm fat. Bastard stuff.

So, back in the day, I met a guy. He was nice, pretty good looking and liked hanging out with me. We spent time together most weekends and emailed often. But things never went any further than friends even though I quite liked him and he was always hanging around. I was pretty sure he wanted a foreign girlfriend so I was a bit perplexed as to what was going on.

Until one day...

He came over with a present for me........

A set of 2KG dumbells.

ArmFatGuy: I thought you could use these....

Me: (OHMYFUCKINGGOD!!!!!!!) Yeah, thanks awfully..... Think I`m getting a headache. You`d better go home.....

After he left I sat there for a very long time looking at my `gift`.
So it was my arm fat standing/flapping in the way of us getting together.

Bloody Hell!!!!!!!

I showed my friends who lived on the same floor as me and we had a good long laugh and then took lots of crazy photos posing with my dumbells. I wish I could find them to post here but I think they must be back in OZ.

Needless to say I didn`t see Arm Fat Guy again for a while. It was a pretty crushing experience.

But, I`m sad to say I did end up dating him after I lost some weight....
God, where was my dignity?!?!?!?!

But in the spirit of karma, I did give him an STD.

This is a picture of me, and my arm fat, wearing my `chlamydia shirt.'
(I needed a nice pick-me-up the day the doctor broke the news to me. Fortunately no permanent damage done.)

Mwah.
Sassymoo

P.S. Can anyone top that as most insulting gift ever?!?!

Bloody Tequila, and Mafia Guy

2011-08-19T21:34:00.000-07:00

Tequila has been my partner in crime on most of the occasions where I did something stupid.

-Lost virginity to unrequited love who ended up being gay- CHECK.
-Uncountable one night stands, of which 1 ended in an STD- CHECK.
-3 pregnancy scares- CHECK.
-Slept with boss- CHECK.

On an up point, I think Princess P was conceived after a night of tequila drinking so we will remain friends until it makes me do something stupid again.

So time to tell you about mafia guy.

The night started with Arm-Fat-Guy actually. He came over with a bottle of tequila. I don`t know why since he was usually asleep after half a glass of beer. One shot for him, 4 for me, a quickie and he was snoring like a baby and it was only 10pm on a Saturday night. Fuck this, I thought. I can`t waste a tequila buzz on sleep. So I headed down the hall to my friend Nic`s room where she and Ann were having a fight over the phone and pushing it at each other.
`You call him` `No, you call him` `No you call him`.
I grab the phone.
Me: I`ll call him.
(Nic dialed the number. Phone starts ringing...)
Me: Who is HIM?
(NO time for an answer as the phone picks up.)
Him: Hello.
Me: Hello. Who is this?
Him: I t`s ***. Who`s this.
Me: Sassymoo. I`m Nic and Ann`s friend.
Him: Hey! What you guys doing?
Me: Drinking. About to get into the tequila.
Him: Can I come over and bring some friends?
Me: Sure, come on over.
Him: We`ll be there is 20 minutes.
Me: Cool. Bye. (Click)

I hang up the phone and turn to Nic and Ann.
.
Me: So, who is ***?
Nic: He`s the mafia boss of Tokushima who we met today at the beach when he was trying to pick Ann up.
Me: OK, well, he`s bringing some friends over in 20 minutes.
Ann/Nic: OMG

See how tequila smooths over difficult situations? 4 shots of tequila and I was thinking I was well smooth! And very unconcerned that some mafia guys were heading over.

3 quick shots in 20 minutes and Nic and Ann were feeling smooth too. I think they were drinking to calm their nerves because soon the bell ran and in walked the biggest, most tatoo-ed man I have ever seen in Japan. He was wearing a black muscle shirt with black pants and black sunglasses. He was followed by 5 slightly smaller, slightly less tatoo-ed, black wearing friends. They brought snacks, beer, and shouchuu. Really a well mannered bunch of yakuza boys. The night started with lots of drinking with `kampai`(cheers) being yelled every couple of minutes to keep everyone drinking along nicely, or basically to get the gaijin girls hammered. An hour of so of this, and only a few drops of tequila left in the bottle, things got a bit more friendly.

But before I get more into that, let me explain a little about where we were living. We all worked at the same school. Ann and Nic taught kinder with another girl, while I taught elementary with 2 guys and another girl. We were all housed in the school dormitory across the road from the school and around the corner from the principal/owner`s house. The school was famous for its baseball program so there were 2 massive dormitories for budding rich baseball players to board in and attend school. Oh, and 1 floor dedicated to the 8 foreign teachers. Having visitors of the opposite sex was frowned upon. Crap about being good role models, rah rah rah. But with 2 guys on the floor we got away with it.
So, we were drinking in Nic`s apartment. Ann slipped me her room key, asking me to keep it in case mafia boss tried to take her back to her room.
So, 2 of the mafia dudes were crashed out on the floor, obviously never having drunk with Aussie girls before. Ann was sitting with mafia boss on the bed diplomatically explaining why she couldn`t be his girlfriend. Nic was pashing one guy with afro hair and I was talking to the other 2. One had his eye on me despite me saying my boyfriend was asleep in my bed in my room down the hall. But the more we drank the less he cared about that and he got pretty touchy feely. I was actually a bit pissed at Arm-Fat-Guy`s lack of stamina so I think my evil side took over. I was soon pashing mafia boy. (I know, I know, broken moral compass.) I think the other guy had fallen asleep but for all I know he could have been watching his friends pash the foreign girls. Tequila stopped me from caring. Things were honestly a haze of tequila by now but I remember one thing. Mafia boy really enjoyed popping an ice-cube in his mouth and then kissing me and giving me the ice-cube. Maybe he thought it was sexy? Who bloody knows what mafia guys think is sexy?!?!
Now I don`t remember if it was the gross factor to the ice-cube game or the realization that I was kissing some random mafia guy while my boyfriend was asleep in my bed, but I suddenly jumped up and ran out of the room, tripped over several large pairs of shoes and bolted down the stairs. When I say bolted, it was probably more like a drunken amble and I was lucky to make it down the flight of stairs and onto the street without falling on my arse.
Mafia boy caught up to me just as I was walking around the corner.

Mafia Boy: Hey, where the hell are you going?
Me: I need a walk. Drunk. Boyfriend sleeping...(trips and almost lands in the ditch in front of the principal`s house).
Mafia boy: (Holding me up for support) Why don`t you like me?
Me: I have a boyfriend. Sleeping....... in my room.
Mafia boy: He has no stamina. You should have a man with good stamina.
Me: And who would that be? (Knowing well and good where this was leading, Damn you tequila).

Mafia boy rained down with kisses, groping me and lots of dirty talk in Japanese that would make my husband blush if I repeated it to him. He lead me to a rice field behind the principal`s house. One good thing about our neighborhood was that it was pitch-black dark countryside behind our dorm and the principal`s house. The rice field was in the process of getting ready for planting so the ground had been recently plowed. Thank god or the sex would have been rather uncomfortable.

Yes, I shagged mafia guy in the middle of a dark rice paddy behind the principal`s house.

When I think of the ramifications of that decision now I am horrified. What if the principal had been walking her dog at 3am? Or some of the base-ballers snuck out of the dorm to investigate a strange noise coming from the paddy fields? I could have been so easily fired if I`d been caught.
Fortunately, I wasn`t.

So anyway, Mafia guy and I had a roll in the rice field and it was without a doubt the most intense, passionate sexual encounter of my life. There`s something to be said for big tatoo-ed guys.
We cleaned off the dirt as best we could and walked back to the dorm. We`d been away a good hour and a half. When we got back to the dorm, everyone had been frantically searching for us because I had Ann`s key in my pocket and she was passed out and needing to go to bed. Also, Nic had no Japanese skills so wasn`t able to tell the mafia guys that the party was over and to fuck off. So I gave Ann her key and we were able to put her to bed without the mafia boss, although he did give it a good try. I kicked everyone out. Everyone parted ways in good spirits and the mafia boss had no hard feelings about not being able to convince Ann to be his new girlfriend. He wasn`t a bad looking bloke but he was much older than we were. Early 40`s maybe. Mafia guy kissed me goodbye and away they went. I went back to my room, had a shower and climbed into bed with Arm-Fat-Guy. As the tequila melted out of my system, the guilt set in and I felt awful. I also had a hangover and a sprained ankle from tripping over the shoes on my run out of Nic`s room. Thank god the tequila had masked the pain when it happened.

In the morning when I tried to get out of bed I grunted in pain when I stood up.

Arm-Fat-Guy: What`s wrong?
Me: Um..Well...after you fell asleep last night I went down to Nic`s and we drank too much tequila and I tripped over on my way back here. (Not entirely a lie. Just lots of information skipped out).
Arm-Fat-Guy: Oh you poor thing. Let me get you some ice for that.

OK, I can`t deny that Arm-Fat-Guy was nice.

When he wasn`t implying I was fat.

He iced my ankle, made me breakfast, went and bought bandages and stuff at the shop and wrapped my ankle up and basically looked after me all day. All the while I was wishing he would just stop being so nice to me go home so I could feel guilty alone. It was the first time I`d cheated on a boyfriend and I was awash with feelings and not sure how to deal with them.

But moving on.

I got over it.

I saw mafia guy again for the occasional booty call until I finally moved from Tokushima. He was interesting. I liked talking to him. He was so far from my everyday world, and I was so far from his. It made it very easy to talk to each other and vent about things going on in our lives with no judgement. I liked him. I kinda miss him.

Mwah.
Sassymoo.

Sex at the White House.

2011-08-15T00:33:00.001-07:00

Many of you will not know this, but there is a White House in Japan.

I see you shaking your heads in disbelief but I kid you not.

In fact, it's in the very town where I live.

However, nobody important or famous lives there.

It's a love hotel.

Some of you are now laughing, thinking to yourselves 'what a stupid name for a love hotel'.

Some of you are just thinking 'what's a love hotel?'.

For those of you in category B, a love hotel is somewhere you go for a shag.

A quick Internet search for info tells us that,
" A love hotel is a type of short-stay hotel found around the world operated primarily for the purpose of allowing couples privacy for sexual activities. The name originates from "Hotel Love" in Osaka which was built in 1968 and had a rotating sign. Love hotels can usually be identified using symbols such as hearts and the offer of a room rate for a "rest" (休憩 kyūkei) as well as for an overnight stay. The period of a "rest" varies, typically ranging from one to
three hours. Cheaper daytime off-peak rates are
common. In general, reservations are not possible, leaving the hotel will forfeit access to the room, and overnight stay rates only become available after 10:00p.m. These hotels may be used for prostitution, although they are sometimes used by budget-travelers
sharing accommodation. Entrances are discreet and interaction with staff is
minimized, with rooms often selected from a panel of
buttons and the bill settled by pneumatic tube, automatic cash machines, or a pair of hands behind a
pane of frosted glass. Although cheaper hotels are
often quite utilitarian, higher-end hotels may feature fanciful rooms decorated with anime characters, equipped with rotating beds, ceiling mirrors, karaoke machines, or strange lighting, or may be styled similarly to dungeons, sometimes including S&M gear. These hotels are typically either concentrated in city
districts close to stations, near highways on the city
outskirts, or in industrial districts. Love hotel
architecture is sometimes garish, with buildings
shaped like castles, boats or UFOs and lit with neon lighting. However, some more recent love hotels are very ordinary looking buildings, distinguished mainly by having small, covered, or even no windows."

Ok, now we're all informed.

The white house is out of town a bit so it's a bit inconvenient but pretty classy. No there rooms or S&M equipment. Our room had a massage chair, spa bath, karaoke machine and gorgeous bed surrounded by red gauze curtains and a huge TV. All in all, a very nice place to go for an afternoon shag.

King N is catching on to my 'given up on good sex' vibes It was really nice of him to suggest the love hotel, and pay for it.
And the sex, I hear you ask? Better than usual with slight fireworks. And definitely a B+ for effort.
Maybe there is hope fir us after all...
Mwah!
Sassymoo

In retrospect....

2011-08-11T02:06:00.001-07:00

'married man' was not the best decision I could have made. But after a childhood growing up in a strict and often emotionally abusive home, when I came to Japan I spread my slutty wings and dove into sex. I was young, free but also painfully naive. To be expected, I never made the smartest choices in men. At that time in my life sex=love.
So one night, I was at my friend Taka's bar. It was a small place with a long bar and only a tiny standing space behind. It was a busy night but knowing the owner my friend and I got seats at the bar. I barely noticed the guy sitting to my left. A few drinks later I paid more attention and saw he wore glasses, in a fashionable way, and was quite handsome. After hearing me talk to Taka for a while and realizing I could speak Japanese, he initiated a conversation.
MM: Your Japanese is very good.
Me: thank you but I don't study enough.
MM: Are you an English teacher?
Me: yes. I work at XX elementary school.
MM: oh... You don't teach adults?
Me: No. Just kids.

5 minute break in conversation for him buying me a drink and me having a quick chat to another friend.

Then for about half an hour we chatted, the usual introductions. Name, age, job, hobbies, marital status, etc.
(So yes, right from the day we met I knew he was married. )

MM: I'm looking for an English teacher. Would you be interested in teaching me?
Me: I've never taught adults before and I'd probably be shit at it.
MM: no worries. I just want to practice English conversation so we can just chat. I'll pay you XX yen for a lesson.
Me:(shit that's good money) Sure, I'll give it a try.

We exchanged contact info, set a time and day for the lesson, decided to do the lesson at MM's friend's ramen shop, and MM would pick me up. Sorted.

The first lesson was a pretty standard English lesson crossed with a dinner date. We ate at his friend's shop. His friend was famous for his weird experimental ramen for which we were guinea pigs. But hey, it was free and I got to drink for free too. It wasn't until the third lesson that I suspected he was more into me than the English. Arm touching during dinner, brushing my leg, playful tickling. Then the compliments started. 'you are so pretty. What beautiful eyes. I love your body shape (translation- you have boobs!!!)'.
Harmless flirting, I thought.
He invited me to go out drinking one weekend, saying he wanted to try out his English with other foreigners at the gaijin bars I often visited. I said fine. Chances were that I would have been there anyway but this way someone else was buying the drinks. We started with tequila shots. We all know that starting with tequila shots never ends well. (that's how I lost my virginity. Sheesh, I never learn).
To be fair, he did try talking to some foreign friends of mine in English so technically the goal was achieved, but he was soon leading drunken me outside to a dark stairwell. This is where he kissed me for the first time. It took a few minutes for my tequila soaked brain to process the thought 'hey, he's married'.

Me: hey, you're married! This isn't a good idea.
MM: some crap about loving me from the first moment he saw me, blah blah blah, couldn't stop thinking about me, rah rah rah, bitch of a wife, whine whine whine, all the while stroking my face.

And he kissed me again and my tequila soaked brain switched off.

We moved from the stairs, to a taxi, to my apartment, to my bed.

I know, I know. Slutty and evil. Thinking back on it now I'm totally ashamed of myself. But there and then, I didn't care. The sex was great.
I got a thrill out of sneaking around.
English lessons, perfect cover.
Ramen friend, perfect alibi. Out drinking, English practice.
I wonder now if his wife and ahem, 2 kids, ever questioned that?
I even met his kids. He brought them over to my apartment one day. I played with them and gave them a clip on koala each to take home. Still I felt no guilt.
Back then my moral compass was spinning out of control.
The affair ended when we got busted. My friend, NZ guy, invited me for drinks with him and his boss and I was allowed to bring my partner. He didn't know who married man was so out to drinks we went. We sat at the table at a bar waiting for NZ guy and his boss. MM was holding my hand and he leaned over and kissed me. As timing would have it, that is when they arrived.
And NZ guy's boss turned out to be an old acquaintance of MM's... who very much knew he was married with kids.
We all sat through a very awkward drink making small talk before the boss/acquaintance made his excuses and left. Soon to be followed by MM who finally felt guilty and went home to his wife.
I was left explaining to NZ guy the whole story which he found quite amusing.
I knew that night was the last time I would see married man and I didn't really feel anything. No guild, no sadness, no hurt.
I just drank the night away with NZ boy and that was the end of my affair with married man.

FYI.
My moral compass has since returned to normal, just in case you were wondering. Possibly a tad off center at times but it will never point to 'affair with a married man' again.

Mwah!
Sassymoo

My oh my

2011-08-10T18:45:00.001-07:00

Amazing how my blog stats went up when I started to talk about sex and bitch about my husband!

You bunch of perverts!

But I love you. Thanks for listening.

Now, what sordid or bitchy tale to tell you today.....

How about a story from the old days? Back in the day every guy I was 'involved' with got a nickname. It was helpful to not get confused as I swear I have dated at least 6 guys called Yoshi. To this day I can only remember them by their nicknames. A few for example... Mafia guy. Married man. Bar guy. Avon guy. Kobe Mike. Tom. Weird guy. Weekend guy. NZ guy. To name a few.
So, whoever replies to this email first can pick the guy and I will blog the story.

Mwah!
Sassymoo

You know what gives me the shits...

2011-08-10T09:01:00.000-07:00

And yes, this is another rant about one of my husband`s habits that annoys me. And here it is.....
He doesn`t sleep in our bed.
No, we don`t have seperate rooms or beds and we`re not mad at each other.
After coming home between 11pm and midnight, King N eats dinner then while he waits for the food to settle, he plays playstation games until 1-2am. Then he falls asleep on the sofa until morning. I go to sleep and wake up alone and lonely.
He knows I hate this.
I have made it clear many times over that we are married and we should be sleeping in the same bed. I need to have the intimacy of our bodies laying next to each other as we sleep, morning cuddles, the occasional morning quickie. Natural things that married people do.
But no, my husband can`t drag his ass off the sofa and climb the stairs to the bedroom most nights of the week. Last week in fact, he didnt make it to bed once. And that hurts me. On weekends he`s all gung ho, let`s have sex, but with the lack of bedroom intimacy and actual face-to-face time during the week, it often feels like I`m fucking a stranger. I don`t feel relaxed. I don`t feel happy.
Why can`t my husband just sleep in our bed like a normal person? Am I asking for too much? Sigh
Mwah.
Sassymo

A bit more honest

2011-08-09T09:48:00.001-07:00

I've decided that my blog needs a bit more of the good, the bad, and the ugly. My family reads this so up until now it has been fairly sugar-coated. But the more I sugar-coat my blog, the less I vent about things I really need to get off my chest. So a warning to my family, mainly my mum, there will be sex mentioned in this post and in posts to come. Also a lot more bitching and complaining, most of which is just venting and will not lead to me offing myself or running crying to Oz. I just need to let stuff out. And I am pretty sure you won't like some of it.
But let's start with the good. That'll pad some of the bad stuff that will follow.
I love my job. I teach nursery class (1.5-2.5 yr olds) at an international kindy. It is by no means an easy job, especially teaching such small kids. But I'm actually pretty good at it. In 5 months I have gained the love and respect of all my kids and their language progression is easy to see. Everyday is different and I'm often exhausted by the end, but I go home most days knowing I did a good job and feel good. Also, taking P with me everyday has made us bond even closer.
I also make enough money that i could support us by myself if need be.

Which brings us to the bad. I'm so sick and tired of my husband's working hours. 10pm should not be considered and early night and getting home at 12pm should not be a regular thing. absence makes the heart grow fonder. Is that how the saying goes? Well that saying can just fuck off! The less I see him the more I resent him. The more I resent him the more I think getting a divorce wouldn't be so bad. Apart from income, what would really change? Princess p would probably even get more scheduled time with him. I could be single instead of being a 'married single' which is how things are now. I don't do lonely well. In fact it depresses me so much that I've been on anti-depressants for 2 years. Japanese men are generally unaffectionate compared to foreign men. After 7 years of marriage I'm sick of having to ask for a hug or a kiss. God, if I were single I might even get some good sex occasionally.
This is where ugly rears it's head. I haven't been enjoying the sex much for the past few years. Its not always bad but I'd say my average for, ahem, fireworks has gone from 90% down to 10% over the time we've been married. I suppose having princess p probably has something to do with it. Stuck in a rut also. I used to take some hard core sleeping pills a little while back that gave me about a 15 minute window before falling asleep where I felt and acted pretty drunk. Now, I'm a chatty drunk, especially when I have a problem on my mind. So one evening the sleeping pill induced dam broke and out splashed my confession of how bored I was with our sex life. How it was all a bit one sided with giving and I wasn't happy with the lack of return...Zzzzzzzz.
Damn those pills were good.
So a while after that we were 'in bed' and King N decides to 'spice things up' a little. He gets his belt and puts it around my neck. WTF! Now, i've slept with more than 50 men thanks to a few slutty years when i first came to Japan so I'm not unfamiliar with S&M. But a bit if warning would be nice. Fuuuuuuck! That's your fantasy honey, not mine. But if he likes it then hey, I'll give it a try occasionally, I decided. (i would prefer he used something a little softer than his belt though.) marriage should be about give and take, right? Right???
Would one of you please mention that to my husband? Shit.
So, late nights and a lack of 'fireworks' has me fairly unhappy with my husband and bored in a way that can only lead to trouble or divorce. Possibly both, in that order. Meanwhile I will keep on trying to make things better but really, it's hard to talk to someone who just isn't around.

Mwah!
Sassymoo

It's about time

2011-08-08T21:40:00.001-07:00

About time I blogged.

-I'm on summer vacation. Only 10 days but I intend to take a nap on every single one on them.

- took king n drinking a couple of weeks ago to try and kick his butt into some fun. It wasn't a bad night but we need lots more nights like that to get the 'fun' back in our marriage.

- Went to my work's end of semester party. Total booze up followed by karaoke. Seriously fun night! Haven't been that drunk in ages. It's much more fun drinking with other people who can drink. My work friends are awesome. By the end of the evening my boss and I were belting out metalica songs. If he wasn't my boss I'd have a bit of a crush on him.
- am off to see a neurologist on Friday. My body has been doing some strange stuff so my GP recommended a check. I think everything can be explained by stress so I don't think the neurologist will find anything odd. But better to be safe than sorry.
- We went to the local temple festival last weekend. Princess P loved all the little stalls and wanted to play all the games. We came home with 4 new goldfish. The ones we got at the festival 3 years ago are still going strong and now they have some playmates.

- I'm missing my family a lot at the moment. Hope you guys are all fine. Love you.
Mwah!
Sassymoo

Boredom.

2011-07-24T06:40:00.000-07:00

Is extreme and utter boredom grounds for divorce?
Any thoughts?

Sassymoo

Update

2011-07-17T05:34:00.001-07:00

So, I've had a cold for about a week now and while I'm feeling better, I'm still coughing and my voice still hasn't completely returned. Work was really tough without my voice. Barely audible man-voice does not keep 15 under 2 year olds in line! I didn't really have a chance to rest and recover at all. Recently though, King N has been much better with helping out with princess p. Not so great with dinner or getting home early but the effort is there and much appreciated. Yesterday we all relaxed at home. Today king n cooked lunch, took princess p to the pool and then came back and cooked dinner. I got to relax, have a nap, play with the kitten, watch tv, etc. I feel so much better having had most of the day to myself. Tomorrow is a public holiday but king n has to work. I think princess p and I will paddle in the kiddy pool in the front garden and maybe catch up with miss C if she isn't too busy teaching. There is also a mountain of washing to put away which will be much more fun with a few DVDs from tsutaya to watch while I do it.
Not much going on at the moment so I'll sign off and leave you with some recent photos.
Mwah!
Sassymoo

The beef stew debacle

2011-07-13T16:38:00.001-07:00

Mail from husband at 6:03pm last night.
"finished! Can I cook beef stew for dinner?"
My reply was "yep!", very glad to have a night off cooking. Especially this week since I have a cold and have lost my voice. Ever tried teaching kindergarten without a voice? No? Well it sucks shit! Kinders are raving maniacs disguised as cute little children but take away my 'teacher's voice' and all hell breaks loose! Fuuuuuuck!
I kid you not, the whistle is coming out today.
Anyway, back on track, yay no cooking! I made the rice and even peeled the potatoes while we waited for king N to get home, which he finally did at just before 8pm. Knowing that dinner would take a while, I had given Poppy a snack around 7 to help her wait it out until stew time.
King N changes out of his work clothes and the beef stew making begins.
But life at the Sassymoo house rarely, if ever, runs smoothly....
King N: Wifey, where's the beef stew mix?
Me: (blank and slightly drugged-out-from-cold-meds stare). You just went shopping, didn't you buy some?
King N: I thought we had some. Oh well, I'll make curry. (5 minutes of rummaging around in the fridge and freezer)
Wifey, where's the beef?
Me:(repeats above stated stare) didn't you buy any?
King N: (blank stare) I just thought we had everything....
Me: What did you buy at the store?
King N: I'll make cream stew.
Me: No. WHAT did you buy at the store?!
King N: Icecream an coke.
Me: Nothing for making stew?!? Why didn't you ask if we needed anything?
King N: I thought we had everything..... I'll go buy it now.
Me: (looks at clock. 8:17pm)
King N: Too late?
Me: ........
King N: spaghetti?
Me: P and I both had spaghetti for lunch but if P will eat it again, that's fine.
P: No spaghetti! Udon!
(king n looks hopeful)
Me: We don't have any udon and I made a lot of rice. N, are there any instant curry bags in the cupboard? (he pulls out 2)
You and P are having curry rice.
King N: what will you have?
Me: something. Now go sit on the sofa.

So, my night off cooking wasn't a night off in the end. In fact, I had freaking white rice for dinner but at least King N gave P a bath, even if she didn't get to bed until almost 10pm.....
Deep breaths.....in..... out...

Mwah!
Sassymoo

Soooo funny!!!!!

2011-07-09T07:12:00.001-07:00

Take a look at this. I haven't laughed so hard in ages!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-4WbjV1Jmo&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Mwah!
Sassymoo

Asshole

2011-07-04T16:58:00.001-07:00

This is my asshole.
I'm sure there are many assholes out there, but this one pisses me off in particular.
We ride the train at the same time as this guy and always sit in the same car.
This guy is ALWAYS sitting in the 'priority' seats meant for pregnant ladies, oldies, injured or mums with small kids.
Today p and I were standing in front of him and of course he didn't give up his seat. But what pissed me off more was that there was a guy on crutches also standing in front of him and he still didn't move!
Now, he's chunky, but I'm almost certain he isn't pregnant.
And he's young, un-injured, and childless.
And on an early morning when I'm grumpy and princess p is badgering me to get her a seat, that makes this guy an asshole.
Mwah!
Sassymoo

Stepping up

2011-07-03T16:49:00.001-07:00

King N took princess p to the pool on Saturday all by himself. Good first step.
But then he slept for the whole rest of the day because it was 'so tiring'.
Sigh.
Mwah!
Sassymoo

The 'other' one

2011-07-01T05:42:00.001-07:00

I saw somebody today.
A somebody from my past.
The face, the same.
The body, the same.
That hat, the same.
A man of habit.

He was the other one.

He was my other proposal.

It was a long time ago.
I was living in Tokushima, my 3rd year there. The social scene was pretty small among us English speaking folk. My work friends and i were on summer vacation and we were out drinking as usual. We were at the point of intoxication where we were feeling confident and care free. My friend T and I left the bar to go to the convenience store for something, I can't remember what. Outside the store was the 'other' and his Afro-haired friend. My friend and I had obviously piqued their interest and after buying whatever it was we went in for, T told me to talk to them. That was usually how it worked back in Tokushima. I had the best Japanese in the group so I was the the designated chat 'em up girl. Which reminds me of how we met the Tokushima yakuza boss, but that's a whole other blog.
Anyway, in my drunken blonde gaijin way I went up and said whatever line it was I had for these kind of first meetings. The 'other' answered my line in perfect English, using enough slang to have me impressed. So the conversation went on between he and I, with me translating to T and the 'other' translating to Afro. After a while T and I were invited to go with them and smoke some weed in Afro's van. Even drunk we knew that wasn't a good idea, so we politely declined and headed back to the bar to our waiting friends.
After another hour of drinking we decided to head off to another bar. When we headed downstairs we ran right into the 'other'. I don't know if he was stalking us or just happened to be heading to one of about 4 gaijin bars in the area and coincidently ran into us.
After a 'hey, I know you' look we said we were off to such-and-such bar but he said he was going to head upstairs. So we parted ways. From here more drinking and karaoke and frivolity. At some point during the evening, he was just there. And we chatted and laughed with my friends and had a great time. The 'other' was born and raised in Tokushima but was living in Tokyo, working as a stock broker. He was home visiting his family and friends. And stocking up on Afro's home grown weed. What are best mates for after all.
The night wore on and we decided to head back to drink at our dorm block. The 'other' was invited by someone and we packed into a taxi and headed home. We drank in my room, chatting, dancing, singing, playing drunken games. One by one my friends went back to their rooms. It ended up just me and the 'other'.

...............

Ok, yes, we hooked up but I'm not giving you any if the sordid details. deal with it.

In the morning we exchanged contact details and said goodbye. I had no expectation of seeing him again as he was off back to Tokyo and I was happy with my single life.
At the end of my 3rd year in Tokushima I changes jobs and moved to the Osaka area. I got into my new job, got to know my new area and settled in to my new life.
One day my phone rang.
It was him.
He asked if he could come and see me in Osaka.
It was sudden considering we hadn't mailed more than a few times. But hey, I wasn't doing anything so I said yes.
I was nervous going to meet him at my station but when he arrived he hugged me fiercely and held my hand as we walked back to my place. He said he couldn't get me out of his head since we'd parted, despite the long distance. It was all sparks and we started dating. One weekend he'd come to Osaka, the next I'd go to Tokyo. He took me to fancy restaurants, we saw bands, went to clubs. It was an intense relationship.
One day when he came to Osaka we walked hand in hand from the station he said 'I would be so lucky to marry a girl like you'. I just smiled.
Later on he proposed.

I thought about it.

But I said no.

Sadly the 'other' came with one big flaw.
He was a total pot head.
He had an endless supply of weed being grown and sent by Afro.
He put his habit down to working such a high stress job. As a girlfriend it was the kind of thing I could blow off, especially as we only saw each other on weekends. But as a wife, and a foreign girl on a visa, I couldn't overlook the possible repercussions of being married to someone with his illegal habit.
And that was the end of that relationship. He went back to Tokyo hurt and I stayed in Osaka and continued my life.
A year or so later he emailed me to say he was being transferred to the Osaka branch and would be moving here. I was with King N at the time so declined his offers for coffee.
So when I saw him today it was strange. He was in line waiting for a train. He didn't see me. I didn't know whether I should go and talk to him or not. Princess p was with me so I decided against it. A rush of memories hit me just watching him though.
And I couldn't help thinking 'What if......'.
Mwah!
Sassymoo

She said it

2011-06-28T06:24:00.001-07:00

So, princess p and I were out eating dinner on Friday night. We'd finished eating and she was playing with a toy while I played on my phone. Then out of the blue, she said it.....

'I don't like my daddy.'

Whoa! Where did that come from?

I asked her why and she finally said 'he's too busy.'

Kid, I totally agree with you.

But I couldn't say that to her of course. I'm pretty sure that would have been bad parenting.
So instead I explained about money and how daddy got it by working and that's how we could buy things for her. I think she understood the talk but still looked skeptical.
I told king n when he got home and he was shocked. I don't know why he was so surprised. He knows he works crazy hours and doesn't spend much in the way of quality time with princess p.
But to his credit, he put in a huge effort with her this weekend. We took her to the pool and he watched her most of the time while I was in the big pool. I've asked him to make swimming their special thing. Something they do together each week, without me, that princess p will enjoy. I hope king n will take the idea and run with it because I really want princess p to enjoy spending time with daddy and look forward to it every week. I don't want her growing up thinking her dad isn't there for her.
When he puts the effort on, king n is a great dad.

Mwah!
Sassymoo

Title-less

2011-06-23T05:36:00.001-07:00

I am just going to ramble since I'm on the train for a while today going to the immigration office to get my renewed spouse visa put in my passport. I have put in my application for permanent residency but that visa usually takes 3 months minimum to process, with most applicants waiting 6-12 months! Safe to say Japan is picky about it's foreign population. I will just have to bide my time until I can divorce king n, take all his money, and escape to the bahamas for a life on the beach with princess p!

Just kidding.

Not that I haven't thought about it.

In my last post I mentioned I was going to have a 'chat' with king n. We had the chat and thanks to an overload of PMS hormones it took a emotional turn with me ending the conversation with "this marriage is too hard" before running up to bed and crying for an hour. I fucking HATE my hormones. My ability to carry on a serious conversation goes right out the window. After an hour of hugging from King N who assures me this marriage is all good, I pulled myself together and said something I've been thinking for a long time now. I told him that I would not be staying with him if his working hours are going to be like this forever. It's not good for me and now that P is old enough to notice daddy is never around, it's not good for her. It's also not good for king n to be working such stupid hours and having to worry about a family on top of it.
I've given myself 3 years to see how things turn out. King N says he'll talk to his boss, look for another job, etc, etc. But he's said that before and many emotional breakdowns from me later, nothing has changed. I do love King N very much but when it's so very one-sided I'm worried that its going to fade out and I will start resenting him. At the moment I just resent the Japanese work ethic.....
But enough about my worries and on to other things.
I am loving my job! I feel very at ease teaching nursery and enjoy the challenges I have to deal with everyday. I can see myself doing this job for years and still enjoying it. I might change my tune next month when we get 5 new kids joining the class and we start water play. 15 kids all under 2.5 years old in a kiddy pool. Hmmmmm......
But princess p has totally settled in to kindy and is LOVING it! That, along with an awesome staff discount, will keep me working there for at least 3 years. There is no doubt that Princess P's English is improving and her Japanese along with it. She has so much to say and makes me laugh all the time. Today we were walking from kindy to the station and P saw this poster.

She looked at it with a very serious face and said 'No! Not good job!'
I guess she didn't take a liking to him! It had me laughing so hard. I think she associates the thumbs up gesture with the English phrase 'good job', or maybe as something her teachers/foreign people say. She was not pleased that Japanese bloke was doing that gesture. I would love to be able to go in to her head and find out what she's thinking. Gotta love a 3 year old's logic!
Little kitty Swirkle has worms, poor thing, so has been isolated in the spare room so as not to spread it to the other cats. He is thriving however. He has more than doubled his weight since we found him and is an affectionate little bugger. I'm not sure how the other cats will take to him once he finally gets the all clear that he's worm free and can actually meet them. There has been lots of meowing through the door so hopefully the cats will get used to each other before they meet.
Well, time for an early night.
I'll leave you with some recent pics.
Mwah.
Sassymoo

PMS meltdown.

2011-06-12T04:17:00.000-07:00

It`s not pretty.

Why does my husband pick this weekend to be a stupid fucker who doesn`t listen to me?

It`s so much easier holding things together when your hormones aren`t working against you. This weekend I have dropped all the balls in the juggling act that is my life and spent half of today locked in my room. Mainly for the safety of others.
As soon as I left said room, King N promptly dumped Princess P back on me so we will be having a talk later about how that is `Not OK`. You see your kid for less than 30 minutes a day during the week. On weekends she expects a little attention and absolutely fucking deserves it!

If your wife works 5 days a week, at a busy kindergarten, where she also commutes 3 hours a day, with your kid, who she also keeps fed, clean and clothed, while also working half a day on Saturday, then watches the kid again while you opt to go to work for some optional unpaid over-time, expect her to have a melt-down once in a while. And yes, she will be bitter about it.

Ah, I feel the hormones draining. That was cleansing.
I guess I will be back doing my juggling act again tomorrow......
Mwah.
Sassymoo

Swirkle

2011-06-03T14:09:00.001-07:00

Mail from my husband at
10:51pm.

N: i got kitty cat for some reason.
Me: huh?
N: i will tell u later.
Me: Are you bringing a cat home???
N: yes.
Me: wow!!!!
Baby?
N: Very
Me: Wow!!!!

Half an hour later he comes in the door with this....

Meet Swirkle.

How Swirkle came to be ours is quite a story. King N was waiting for his train at the station and saw a kitten on the train tracks. The train was approaching the station but there were no staff around to tell so in a split second decision he pushed the emergency train stop button on the platform. He then jumped on the the tracks to get it as the train skidded to an abrupt stop. He says he can't believe he did it. Afterwards he felt really bad for making the train stop suddenly and making it run late. He is appalled he 'put so many people out'. How very Japanese of him. He is somewhat lamenting keeping another cat but couldn't let it get squished by the train. Good man!!!!!
Apart from gooey eyes and being a bit skinny and dirty, Swirkle is pretty genki. And loves our dog, who I think she has mistaken for her mummy. Our dog isn't sure what to think!

So Swirkle is off to the vet today to be checked out and then will hopefully settle in as part of the sassymoo household.
Cheers.
Sassymoo.

Bullet points

2011-05-27T06:32:00.001-07:00

- got a great review at my work observation. All teachers have 3 class observations a year by head office staff and being new to the job, this was my first. I was a bit nervous but I got lots of positive feedback. The boss even said he'd like to send some teachers to come watch my class as he liked the ideas I used. Woo hoo!!!! Major praise for a new teacher!!!!
- I also had my probation meeting at work. My 'new teacher probation period' is now over and I scored well above average on the evaluation. Another woo hoo!!!!
- princess p is loving kindy. There was a 2 week period where she was having some jealousy issues with me teaching other kids and not her class. But now she has settled back in and can't wait to go every morning. She has made some good friends and loves her teachers. she also chatters away constantly, but it's all English so I can't complain.
- since starting work I have had no time to go to the gym so I have decided to cancel my membership. I'm really sad about that. I enjoy going to the gym and as exercise/weight loss goes, it works best for me. I'm not sure what to do instead as I come home exhausted from work most days and snack way too much when I'm tired.... I will have to get moving again!

Ok, that's it. My life is all work, kid, work, kid, occasional husband, work, kid.... You get the drift. But things are good.
Take care blogsphere!
Mwah!
Sassymoo

Work work work

2011-05-18T04:59:00.001-07:00

Not much going on apart from work this week. Had one of the Japanese head office people come in for an observation and she was really happy with my classes. I have the native teacher co-ordinator coming in on the 25th for his observation but after getting lots of positive feedback today I'm not nervous about it anymore.
In other news, princess p is settling in nicely to her new, and rather demanding kindy schedule. It was hard at first but I think she has gotten stronger and is coping much better. Her English and Japanese have both taken off which is wonderful. And she is happy going which is the main thing!

Mwah
Sassymoo.

Pics

2011-05-13T15:18:00.001-07:00

Reading her magazine

Waiting for sushi

Yay sushi

Yummy

P ate 4 plates by herself!

I love ice-cream.

See!

Coming back from a day out

'Tangled' party.
Princess Matias.

Princess Asaka

Princess Izel

Princess P

The princess slurping down mustard.

Going to Kindy.

Mwah.
Sassymoo.

Bye bye Gertie

2011-05-13T15:12:00.001-07:00

Stalker stalker stalker stalker stalker stalker stalker stalker stalker

Pics pics pics

2011-05-01T11:31:00.000-07:00

King N doing his fake smile

My birthday

Playing with my camera

Kissy face

Birthday kisses

Lots more of me playing with the camera

Indian Restaurant

`Hey P, do your model pose`

Yes, we have been watching too much of America`s next top model. Don`t judge me

Quit it mum!

Photos by P

I think she captured me rather well

Yummy curry

With freaking huge naan bread!!!!


Nom nom nom!

I know, I know. I`m such a weirdo.
Mwah.
Sassymoo

Feeling better

2011-04-30T02:00:00.001-07:00

Finally!

Wiped out for a week with severe tonsillitis. Unbelievable!
I recovered from child birth faster and with less tears

But I can finally eat and drink normally and went for a bike ride with C yesterday. She showed me the way to get to the new Aeon mall in our neck of the woods. Not a bad ride and P an Ash had crazy fun in the kids' play area. Until P vomited from a combination of orange juice/getting too hot/coughing fit. I realized the I'm-gonna-puke face in time to do damage control and C came to the rescue. (Thanks sweety. I'll triple wash that towel and get it back to you.) But she was fine and back up playing in just her undershirt in no time. Both kids had huge naps afterwards.
Today I did Easter a week late with my peek-a-boo kids. They loved it. First ever Easter party for all of them. We did egg dying, chocolate hunt and egg toss. The older 3 loved decorating the eggs and I had to bribe them outside. Once they realized there was chocolate involved they were off and searching like crazy. So funny.
One girl came today for a trial lesson. A very lucky day to come. She joined up and will start next week even after I told her she wouldn't be getting chocolate every week. She seems a very confident girl. During the week she came and got a flyer from the box outside my house and took it to her mum saying 'I want to go here'. Then came and rang my doorbell with her mom to set up a trial lesson. Fortunately I was home (sick) when they came and was able to set up the trial lesson. I must have looked a fright though.
She fit right in today. I used more Japanese than usual since it was a cultural event so she wasn't freaked out by sudden English. I think she'll do really well in regular lessons too.
My little boys class had a great time with P and Ash joining in. We did the egg toss at the end which was so funny to watch. For one boy it was the first time he'd touched an egg let alone draw on one, then toss a raw one at his mom! But the idea of tossing raw eggs around was so exciting and they did so well trying not to drop it. I made sure P and I got out first so the boys wouldn't feel so bad when they dropped theirs. Sorry P. Thanks for taking one for the team honey. I think it was fun making it go splat. Ash was a bit forlorn. He likes eggs and didn't like seeing one dropped. So funny. Thanks for helping me out today C. Couldn't have done it without you.
After the party, C and Ash headed off and P, N and I went and had Indian for lunch. The naan bread was bigger than my head! Awesome! What a great start to Golden week!
I'll post some pics from my phone now, and do another post later with pics from my camera.

Mwah!
Sassymoo

Post vomit pics....

Bye!

Just kill me already

2011-04-24T04:30:00.001-07:00

I don't know why, but my body hates me.

It's slowly torturing me by catching every bug going around at work.

2 weeks ago it was an unpleasant gastro bug that had me sick for 4 days.

This weekend I have the high-fever-and-throat-of razor-blades bug. There's a real name for it but I can't be arsed looking it up.

As soon as I finished my Saturday morning classes I started feeling sick and it all went downhill from there. Fever got up to almost 40 degrees and remains above 38 with medicine. I can barely swallow or talk.

I've already called in sick for tomorrow since this is a contagious bug and I have to get doctor approval to return to work.

The meds have kicked in so time to try and sleep.

Big fingers crossed that princess P doesn't catch this. It really is awful.
Mwah!
Sassymoo

P.s. A big shout out to the lovely miss C who hosted a charity Easter party today to raise money for the earthquake/tsunami victims. You rock!!!! Sorry I missed it.

Zzzzzzzzz

2011-04-20T03:47:00.001-07:00

I think I'm finally regaining a semblance of a life. My body is adjusting to my new schedule and work duties and i've be down-graded from
-freaking-exhausted-to-the-point-of-immobility

to a more normal

-freaking-tired-from-a-demanding-but-rewarding-job-and-am-able-to-complete-basic-housework-in-the-evenings-and-on-weekends
status.

I did have a bit of a break-down on Thursday after an early start and coming home to Japanese kindy crap to deal with. For the third day in a row they sent her futon home to be washed. Princess P does not generally wet the bed, but has been sleeping in nappies due to the cold as a just-in-case precaution. I sent nappies with p on her first day of kindy. But at nap time p kicked up a fuss about having to wear one
and the teacher just gave in and let her sleep in her knickers. This kind of thing shits me off. I give advice about my child, they ignore it, and I get stuck washing her nap futon 3 DAYS IN A ROW!!!! After work, cooking dinner, bath and bed routine, my 2nd job starts at 8pm.
Fortunately on Friday I got the all clear to enroll princess p at my school at the full staff discount. The staff discount usually isn't available to staff until the 6 month probation period is over. But my boss talked to the big boss and negotiated that I was a special case as they desperately needed a nursery teacher. So as of Monday, princess p has enrolled in my school for a mere 21500 a month. That's 8am-6pm, 5 days a week in English immersion. Freaking awesome!!!!! And almost half what we paid foe her Japanese kindy. She has her shy moments but in general loves it. I can tell because she sings as we walk to the station after work. And she tells me the kids in her class are nice without me even asking. All I got from her after her 2 week stint in Japanese kindy was 'so-and-so was bullying me'....
Definitely an improvement!
So I'm super happy and am so glad I made to choice to take this job!
Will update again when I can but my usually blogging time during my commutes is now taken up with entertaining a hungry tired 3 year old during rush hour! I didn't say things were perfect....

Zzzzzzzzz.....what? Where did you all come from?

2011-04-10T01:45:00.000-07:00

Wow, I suddenly woke up and there you all were.
Waiting with baited breath for my next post I assume?
Ha, ha, in my blogging dreams!
I have been in a perpetual daze for the past week. Starting full-time work with very little notice has made my body very unhappy. Working full-time is tiring. I knew that was coming. However, the extreme exhaustion of Princess P starting daycare at the same time has been awful. While multi-tasking isn`t new to me, this has taken things to a whole new level of WTF am I doing?!?!
Then Friday I got hit with a tummy bug that took me out until this morning. Some symptoms remain but I can generally function again so yay for me.
But despite the exhaustion and tummy bug, I love my new job!!!! It`s exactly what I want to be doing and I`m working with a great bunch of people in a professional atmosphere. My little tiny students (all under 2) are gorgeous. As to be expected there have been tears. Most of them are leaving their mums for the first time so its all strange and scary, and having a bunch of gaijin walking around can`t be helpful. But they aren`t scared of me which is nice. I have a motherly aura which helps. I can generally stop them crying with talking, distraction or cuddles. There is an awful lot to remember about school schedules, rules, procedures, etc so my head is full of new information and more is getting crammed in by the day. I still have to plan for and teach my students here in my classroom at home as they all changed to Saturday so they could continue my lessons. It`s really nice they didn`t want to quit but it`s just 1 more thing that I have to manage in my week. I really am not complaining about that though.
I also have to do a last lesson with my other 4 classes next Saturday to say goodbye and pretty much do a big formal apology to the parents for quiting suddenly. They have already received a letter of explanation/apology from me but I think a sorry in person is necessary. I will have to come up with some fun games and presents for their last lesson.
Well, just writing this post has made me realize that I have an awful lot to do in preparation for the week to come. So, talk to you again soon when my daze clears again.
Cheers!
Sleepymoo

Love

2011-04-02T11:30:00.001-07:00

Love is a husband who is up at 5am intricately cutting seaweed with a pair of scissors to make you a motivational lunch to take to your new job.

I'm definitely feeling the love this week. King N has clocked up some major brownie points!
Mwah.
Sassymoo

A letter

2011-03-31T03:26:00.001-07:00

My father-in-law is a man of few words. He has always been kind to me though. My husband says that before I was on the scene, FIL wasn't always as nice. I don't know how I've influenced him towards niceness but hey, it's a good thing.
Anyway, yesterday king n came back from the in-laws place after eating dinner there with the princess. First he handed me our visa bill which wasn't so nice but then he gave me a letter from FIL. King n has never seen his dad write a letter so this was a BIG thing. And to be honest, he was a little worried.
Here is what it said...

Dear Cassie,
How long have you been in Japan now? Have you gotten used to life here? I'm sure there are things that you are yet to understand and things you worry about. People can't live alone. People need to think about each other and help each other in life. From now, things will be difficult for you and King n. As a couple you need to combine your strength and try hard. But as hard as you try there will still be things that you can't do. In those times, you need family. King N and big sister are our beloved children. But their spouses are our beloved children also. Parents must look after their children. From now Princess P will grow up and there will be tiring and worrying times, I think. If you feel worried or have a problem, please don't keep it to yourself, please talk to me and mama. While we are still in good health we will help you as much as we can without restraint. Because you are part of the Y-----i family. I am not good at talking so I wrote you this letter. From now, let's try hard together.
From Papa.

Needless to say this letter made me cry. Mostly because FIL does not show any emotion, so for him to write me this letter shows that he loves me and I am really considered one of the family. It also shows that he realizes how hard things here are for me sometimes and how hard I try. Especially with the sudden change to the new full-time job. And I think there's also a bit of 'sorry-our-son-is-a-freaking-workaholic -and you-are-stuck-with-all-the-housework-child raising-and-a-fulltime-job-and-no-quality-couple-time' in there. My own family would be so helpful if I were in Australia and it's nice to know that even though they aren't here, I do have a family to help me when I need it.
I totally have warm fuzzies from this letter.
Mwah to you all and a special mwah going out to FIL.
Sassymoo

Something new

2011-03-30T07:22:00.001-07:00

8:35am- leave for train station.
8:40am- 8:45am-bicycle parking guys want to chat. So nice but they are chatty buggers when I'm in a hurry.
8:46am- miss my 8:46 train. Next train running 3 minutes late. Calculate in head if can make destination in time. Will have to run down shopping street but should make it in time.
9:03am- start blog entry.
9:15- arrive at Osaka station. Run to change train lines.
9:16am- panting like a mad woman on local train to Temma. (thank god for previous gym efforts that made that dash possible.)
9:19am- get off at Temma.
9:20am- run down the wrong shopping street. Run back. All dreams of stopping at a convenience store to get a redbull ruined.
9:22am- back where I started and running down the right shopping street.
9:25am- arrive at the building.
9:27am- arrive at 2nd floor and the room where I'm doing.....

ORIENTATION FOR MY NEW FULL-TIME JOB!!!!
(more on how that came about later)

9:28am- enter huge room filled with a large amount of foreigners and english-speaking Japanese.
9:30am- motivational talk from the big boss.
9:45am-6pm is honestly a bit of a blur as it was packed with information with an hour for lunch in the middle. Topics covered were basic rules, safety, songs, dance, yoga, English in a nursery setting, toilet training, parent orientation and forming a good relationship with your teaching partner.
Come 6pm and my brain was at maximum capacity. But I also feel ready for my new job and am super excited.
6:07pm- signed my contract and am now a full-time employee at dah dah dah school. (best not give the real name).
I start tomorrow preparing for the new term and come Monday I will be in charge of the 1.5-2.5year old nursery class.

Now those of you who read my blog will know that I had grand plans if opening my own classroom and working from home. But with only 5 kids enrolled since October it was time to face facts that I wasn't really getting anywhere. As for my other job, I am so so sick of commuting with a freaking heavy bag of resources and working in a dingy community center. I love the kids but after slogging it out for 2 years, I need a change and some more stability. So, after yet another fight about money with king N on Saturday morning, I said fuck it, I'm going to look for full-time work so this money fighting can end. Found 2 jobs I liked the look of on the Internet. Sent my resume in for the first one. 2 minutes later my phone rang and the guy asked me to come in for an interview on Monday. Super fast! Went to the interview, got the job. On Tuesday I went for another interview at the other school. I got that job too but had a better feeling about the first job so I took it. Had to visit the school on Tuesday which was made possible by the lovely miss c as I had the other interview afterwards and juggling that, the school visit and P was really hard. Kisses for C. Today I did orientation for dah dah school. And I start officially tomorrow.
Am I scared? Yes.
Am I excited? Yes.
Am I freaking exhausted from a busy arse week that is only half over? Hell yes.
But am I happy? Yes.
I need a change and this is the kind of job I enjoy and am good at.
So, with me starting work tomorrow, and princess p starting kindy on Friday, this is going to be a pretty crappy few weeks Fingers crossed p loves kindy. Having to juggle P's kindy and work at the same time is going to suck until we get used to the routine.
But, I am happy!!!!
Mwah.
Sassymoo.

Me and my teaching partner.

Dear C,

2011-03-28T23:40:00.001-07:00

I couldn't ask for a better friend! Thank you for letting me get half naked in your car then leaving you with my screaming crying 3 year old for the afternoon.
It goes without saying that I owe you one!!!!
Love Sassymoo.

Ahhhhhhhhhhh

2011-03-26T05:36:00.001-07:00

I LOVE my new sofa!!!!!!!

I guess there are some perks to picking your own birthday present.

Mwah.
Sassymoo

House.

2011-03-24T19:42:00.001-07:00

Our house turned 1 year old yesterday.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY HOUSE!!!!
My biggest memory of moving day was being freaking cold, ALL day!!!! Despite being just 5 stations down from our old apartment it is so much colder here and I had to sit in the empty house waiting for the movers to arrive. No heater, no extra clothes to put on, no slippers to keep my feet warm. It was awful!
King n and I ate our first meal sitting on the living room floor in our empty house. Our first meal was pasta made by the lovely Miss C who delivered a care package to us to get us through moving. Very much appreciated C!
In this 1 year we have seen our deck built (care if my wonderful uncles), my first BBQ with all the inlaws, an awesome house-warming party with great friends, a string of guests (mostly good but a couple not so much), got my classroom decorated and organized to start lessons, had some parties/sleep overs/dinner parties, a couple of awful hangovers, a few fights, but also an enormous amount of love.
This house has become our home. And while it is such a pain in the arse to keep clean (white flooring, smart choice there king n) I can't imagine living anywhere else.
So, cheers to our home! May we spend the rest of our lives here happily.
Cheers.
Sassymoo.

Time for something nice.

2011-03-22T21:52:00.001-07:00

My blog has taken a major turn towards complaining recently and as much as venting here is therapeutic, I really need to start writing more 'nice' things.

So today I'm going to tell you about the nice men who work at the bicycle parking lot next to the station.
I park my bicycle there every Wednesday and Thursday when I go to work.
I use the word bicycle very loosely as in actual fact I ride a tricycle. Before you start snickering, it's the safer option for riding with a child, and has ample basket space to carry all my work stuff, groceries, etc.
But in truth, I'm just shite at riding bicycles due to little experience when I was a child, and a few near death experiences when I tried when I was older. That extra wheel provides me with enough confidence to actually get on the thing.
Needless to say, I stand out in the crowd being the blond gaijin riding a granny trike. all the bike parking guys know me and think I'm adorable in a 'ha ha' kinda way.
Anyway, last week we has some pretty strange weather here with it actually snowing in march. Unheard of in this part if Japan, or so Obaachan tells me. It happened to be blizzarding down on Wednesday as I was riding to the station to go to work.
Halfway there....
'BANG!'
Bye bye back right tire.
So here's an amusing mental picture for you...
Blonde gaijin, pushing tricycle through a blizzard with tricycle veering off to one side and banging into things while said gaijin utters every swear word she knows in 2 languages.
Now you may snicker.
The bike guys sure were as I pushed the bastard trike into the parking lot. At lease it was 'aww, poor little gaijin' snickering. I suppose I could have left it where I got the puncture but if my bike had been taken by the bike police it would have been much more expensive and harder to get it home. So pushing it to the parking lot was the safest plan.
And they were really helpful. After stating the obvious, 'you've got a puncture', all 4 of the little old men were out looking at my trike. One guy went in to call around to see if some bike shop person could come and fix it. He came out of the booth saying sorry but bike shops are all closed on Wednesday and tried to give me directions to the nearest bike shop for the next day. They had me leave my trike outside the booth and I ran off to the station, just making it in time for my train.
I did my lessons, went to the gym, then walked over to get my trike. There was a note taped to the seat with the name and number of the bike shop, a hand-drawn map, and measurements of the tire that needed replacing.
Such nice guys!
Anyway, I went to park there today and they were all glad to see I'd been able to get the tire fixed. I thanked them for their help last week and the helpful note. One of the guys said,'we're so glad you got it fixed. We tried to fix the puncture ourselves with our puncture kit but the tire was split so we couldn't. We are so sorry we couldn't fix your tire.'
Wow! I hadn't even known they'd tried to fix it. Certainly not their responsibility or part of their job description. I thanked them profusely with lots of bowing.
Talk about service!
For 150 yen a day, I certainly get more than my money's with with those guys!!!!
Mwah to the bike guys.
Sassymoo.

More training required

2011-03-19T20:45:00.001-07:00

Well, I'm 33.
My husband needs more birthday training. He understands it's supposed to be a special day where you do something special and a gift is involved. But he doesn't know what to do or what to buy.
To be completely honest, having to plan my own birthday celebrations and pick my own gift really sucked.
We had dinner with C and her husband at my favorite izakaya. Dinner was yummy but the boys just weren't in party mode. So after trying a different bar, then not getting in to another bar cause it was full, then thinking about doing karaoke but deciding nobody really wanted to, we did some print club photos and called it a night.
Not the fab getting-sloshed-and-having-a-drunken-good-time I was hoping for but C and I gave it our best shot. C gave me some vouchers for a massage and girls day out so I'm going to call that my official birthday celebration and forget about last night.
Not our fault that Japan has crushed our husbands' ability to drink and socialize like normal people.
I still plan to push the socializing but it would have been better to have a trial run before my birthday. They need more training.
When we got home my disappointment was fairly obvious despite not trying to show it. My husband was expecting some drunken birthday sex but considering i was far from drunk and pretty unimpressed in general, I just went upstairs, had a bit of a cry and pretended to be asleep when he came up 10 minutes later. No point trying to explain things when I'm feeling like that. I tend to get too truthful and he didn't really deserve that. It's not like he went out of his way to make my birthday disappointing, he just didn't get it right, and my expectation of birthdays is far too high for living in this country.
We had a bit of a talk about it this morning where I apologized for being distant and he apologized for not trying harder. It may take a few years but he does want to get it right so fingers crossed for birthday no. 34.
Here are the few pics I took last night.

C, you are wonderful!

(mum, the peach chi-hai's are for you)
Mwah
The ever complaining
Sassymoo

30+3=?

2011-03-18T08:29:00.001-07:00

Well the obvious answer is 33.

That's how old I'll be tomorrow.

Not really old but not really young.

When I was younger I never really imagined getting older or had any plans. No 'I want to be married by 25, 3 kids and a big house by 30, and be ruling the world by the time I'm 33' or anything.

(On a side note, the idea of me ruling the world is so ridiculous! Once a month some poor country or another would get nuked for no particular reason except I was feeling cranky. And I'd probably pass a law making everyone own 3 cats or something.)

So it's hard to look back and see if I've achieved my goals. Fact is, I never really had any. I kinda just went where life took me with minimal pushing in any particular direction. Except to Japan, that is.
And now I've been here more than 10 years. I have a husband, a daughter, a house and a job.
Nothing to complain about......
Yet I'm going to.....

(I don't mean to be insensitive by complaining when right now so many people are suffering, but I need to mark my birthday with a 'me' post. Apologies and please don't think badly of me).

I am not unhappy.
But I've decided not to lie to myself anymore and admit that I'm not happy either.

Wow, that was hard to say.

I guess it's not so much about being not happy as being BORED.

Really, really bored.

My personality is such that I need other people to make make me happy, get me motivated, get the fun started.
When I was young and single there were always lots of people around so being happy and entertained wasn't difficult.
Getting married, having a child, and being in Japan to do it, has changed me. My world has shrunk.
My husband has over the years become more and more of a work-a-holic. Leaving me with more and more hours of boredom. Wouldn't be so bad but once the kid is sleeping there really isn't much to do. Can't go anywhere. Not really much of a phone person. I want to be out doing things.
Which I guess is my complaint. I need to be doing things, and to be honest, getting king n doing stuff with me, or I am going to go insane. And possibly go home... for good.

Wow, that was scary to say too.

But I've picked today to be honest with myself.

So, I need to make some changes and hopefully that will encourage king n to do so as well. He really does need to lighten up.

So, to the list!

1. Earn more money.
(more money will make life less stressful for king n and give us some mad money to do stuff with).
So, I have gotten a Saturday job that starts in April. I absolutely hate the thought of Saturday work but for now it's necessary.

2. Gym.
(get healthy and genki).
Doing well so far. It has been a challenge recently with kid watching but I'm still motivated to go when time allows.

3. Daycare.
(she needs friends and more stimulation. I need time for the gym, more work, and 'me'.)
Princess p starts on April 1st with a slow schedule the first week to ease her into it. She has been excited buying the stuff we need for daycare (which we just call kindy) and seems to want to go. We talk about it a lot so she knows what's gonna happen and how mummy and lovey can't go. I fully expect tears and tantrums the first week but I know she'll be fine.

4. Social life.
(I need to see friends on a regular basis and going out for drinks regularly is on my to do list.)
C and I occasionally go out to an izakaya to drink, eat, chat and sometimes go to a bar after. It's great! But it would be nice if our husbands wanted to join us sometimes. I am going to nudge king n in that direction, starting tomorrow night for my birthday dinner. We need to have fun as a couple and since he is rarely home during the week we both need to make an effort on the weekends.

To be honest, I could add more to this list, and maybe will later, but I think I'll leave it at this for now since it's getting late and I'm tired. This post really is mainly for me, to remind myself of what i want and what i need to do to get it. If I'm not happy it's hard to make those around me happy so really thinking about me right now will be good for everyone and my family, and myself, deserve that. So, GANBATTE... to me.

Time to go to bed, alone, again....sigh.
Mwah
Sassymoo

What?!?

2011-03-17T18:07:00.001-07:00

My day is already ruined.

I got out of bed this morning when Princess P came and woke me up. No good morning or I love you. Just...

'Mummy, your bum is hanging out'.

Thanks for that sweety......

Mwah

Sassymoo, feeling rather un-sassy this morning....

Not much to say

2011-03-15T04:38:00.001-07:00

Mwah
Sassymoo

So sad

2011-03-12T06:00:00.001-08:00

For those of us unaffected by the earthquake life goes on as normal. Yet it is surreal. As I lay here next to my sleeping daughter I know that in northern japan so many no longer have homes to sleep in, and sadly many have lost their daughters, sons, mothers, fathers, relatives.
I don't want to go downstairs where my husband is watching the news. I can't watch the devestation anymore. It makes me feel sick seeing the hell that so many are living through while I am here lucky and safe. I feel a profound sadness for Japan as it fights through this disaster. This year, both countries I love have been struck by natural disasters. Mother nature is unhappy. All I can do is hold my loved ones close and hope my friends up north are ok and staying safe.
Please send out your thoughts and prayers to the homeless, hungry, cold, scared, and mourning people of Japan tonight.
And hug your loved ones tight.
Love to you all.
Sassymoo

Snot

2011-03-08T20:26:00.001-08:00

I'm full of it.

Better than being full of shit I suppose, but still.

Hence not blogging recently. Not that much has really happened since I lost my keys. They never came back, by the way.
A few bullet points before I arrive at work.
- am applying for a Saturday job at a school that does an immersion program. I had a skype interview yesterday and have been asked to come to a 2nd interview on Saturday. Not particularly loving the idea of working on Saturdays but for a year or so it will be a nice chunk of extra cash. Which will be handy as I build up my student base at home during the week. So fingers crossed for the interview.
- princess p and i went to her daycare orientation yesterday. She loved it at first then got seriously grumpy cause she got hungry. She was so excited in the morning about going that she couldn't eat much breakfast. Poor love. The place looks good and the teachers were nice. All the kids in the playground came running over when we arrived. I spoke to them in Japanese and they now all love me and think p is the cutest thing ever. Good start. She starts on April 1st.
- I did a big clean out of clothes last night. (I swear I'm nesting. So weird). Between the 3 of us I filled two and a half 90L garbage bags! I threw out a few things of king n's without asking. One totally ugly tracksuit that looks like a high school PE outfit and is way too purple. I also threw out all the un-pairable socks, half his boxer shorts, and an ugly coat. I am 98% sure he won't even notice.
- princess P has re-named herself 'strawberry'. She has also re-named me 'boobies'. That was a weird ass conversation. Fortunately 'boobies' hasn't stuck and I can live with her being 'strawberry'.
-my sister-in-law is moving at the end of this month so I'll be doing a 5 day babysitting stint while they pack and move. It will be a good chance to find out if I could handle another baby.
- p and I meet our BFFs for lunch and shopping on Sunday. The kids ran around crazy and we adult got to chat. Soooo nice catching up with friends!

Ok, can't think of anything else. I hope your lives are much more interesting and have less snot than mine!
Mwah
Sassymoo

Sorry C, I just had to put that last one in...

Bad, good, then completely crap

2011-03-04T06:54:00.001-08:00

The Bad:
After going to bed very late,
-princess p had 2 nightmares
-she woke me up to go pee twice
-king n's alarm woke me at 5am
-he manned around the house noisily getting ready for his conference
-he woke me cause he couldn't find his bag so I had to get out of bed to look for it by which point he had already found the fucker.
-p had another bad dream and ended up in our bed. I gave up on sleep at this point and got up.

So, essentially I got about 6 minutes of sleep last night. Lovely.

The good:
-I had to return some Dvd's before 10am so P and I biked into town and did it. Yay no overdue fines!
- since it was early we decided to stop at mcdonalds for a mummy/daughter breakfast. It was nice. She ate everything and we chatted while she played with the kids meal toy and I drank my coffee.

-we went and rented some DVDs. She had fun picking ones she wanted and I got a couple that I wanted. All happy.
- hit the 100 yen shop for a few things and p got a toy that she loved.
- said toy kept her entertained on the train to toyonaka where I get my hair cut.
- the salon had a kids room and with a bit of encouragement she went in with the child-minder and played with her and the other kid in there. Very brave step for her to do that without me so I was proud.
- got my hair cut and my head feels light and I feel good.

- another 100 yen shop.
- easy train ride back and off to get the bicycle to head home and watch some DVDs.
Sitting pretty.

The Completely Crap part:
- get to the bicycle, drop the bags in the basket and strap P into her seat.

WHERE ARE THE FUCKING KEYS?!?!?!?!?!

Not in my coat pocket where they should be.

Not in my jeans pockets.

Not in the front pocket of my bag.

Time to pull everything out of my bag in a now desperate search for keys.

Nada.

Nothing.

No freaking keys.

I cram everything back in to the bag, get the now very sleepy p down out of her seat and do a serious search of the bike parking area for my keys.

Nothing.

I go into the store we were parked in front of and asked if anyone had turned in my keys.

No.

Fucking hell!

Take p and retrace our day, asking at every shop if they had found my keys.

No.

Shit fuck crap!!!!!!

P is becoming little miss narky pants so we get in a taxi and go to the inlaws. Have a lovely chat with my mum on the way there, mostly about how I lost my fucking keys.

Explain to the inlaws that I lost my keys, can't get in the house and my bike is stuck in bike parking outside the seiyu department store. They rush around like (very kind) chickens calling all the places I'd just gone to to ask about my keys.

Nothing.

P needs a nap and so do I so I get the spare key we have at the inlaws place, take her home, sleep for 3 hours then take her back to the inlaws.

I then spend the next few hours going back to every shop and asking about my keys again.

Still no freaking keys!!!!

I go to the shop that makes spare keys to get a new key cut.

It has to be ordered.

It costs 3000 yen.

It's gonna take 3 weeks.

Fucking awesome! Thanks for that.

I go and pay to get my bike out of the locked parking and have to lug the heavy bastard to the side of the parking lot where I leave a note in Japanese saying 'I've lost the key' in hopes they don't take it to the impound lot.

Wanna bet I go there tomorrow and it will have been taken to the impound lot?

Tomorrow the bicycle shop guy who is friends with my father-in-law will drive me down in his noddy truck, get the bike (if it hasn't been impounded), go back to the bike shop and replace the lock. More money down the drain.

Then I will ride the damn bike to the gym and spend 3 hours working off my frustration from losing my fucking keys!!!!!

Sounds like a fun day, no?

To sum up, I'd just like to say
Shit fuck crap bastard keys!!!!!!!!!

Mwah
Sassymoo.

Not much going on

2011-03-03T09:30:00.001-08:00

Since my last blog about my hypocritical husband, not a lot has been going on. Anniversary plans were cancelled due to me being so sick with a cold. No voice to whisper sweet nothings into king n's ear. Just a barely audible croak to request water and more drugs. Definitely not an attractive version of me, unless snot does it for you. The damn cold also made me miss a book-swap with friends that I so wanted to catch up with. Princess P cried when she was told we couldn't go. She really wanted to see her friends too. Fortunately we're meeting friends for lunch on Sunday so we will both be happy.

Princess P was accepted into the daycare closest to our house. We have to fill in a million forms and attend a meeting on Tuesday morning to get all the information. Hopefully king n can take the morning off work to come with me. Details are important in Japan and heaven forbid I get the wrong size toothbrush/cup bag. I feel zero mummy-guilt about putting P in daycare. I have both loved and hated the 3 and almost-a-half years I've spent being a stay at home mum. P and I have bonded in that time and being with me most of the time her English is going well. But I have missed working, having time to go to the gym, going grocery shopping without a tag-along demanding chocolate, going to the toilet ALONE! But more than that, P is so ready to go. She wants friends. She needs the stimulation of other kids. She needs to learn how to play and get along with other kids in Japanese. It is going to be great for her social skills and general development so this is a good thing. But from here on out is where the English side of our family will take a dip. English will need to be encouraged and pushed as Japanese naturally becomes her predominate language. As the parent responsible for her English development, I'm going to have to make time to teach her English instead of her naturally acquiring it as she has up until now. And our family schedule is going to change. I see a very difficult transition into waking up early ahead. For me, that is. It's going to be rough as I am sooooooo not a morning person. I think we'll have to start practicing this new early morning schedule from Monday. Here comes Mrs Cranky Pants. Nobody come near me on Monday. In fact, just to be safe, best to avoid me all week.
King N is going to have such a bad week....

I'm going to get a haircut tomorrow. It's been months. I'm taking P with me for the first time. P is not comfortable around men so going to the hairdresser with me where many of the staff are male is out of her comfort zone. But we've talked about it and P has agreed to practice being brave before she goes to daycare. I'm going to take her out of her comfort zone a few times a week before April just to get her used to doing new things and meeting new people. I'm hoping it will help with the daycare transition. And I really do need a haircut!

Work has been good. I love my 2 new 4 year old boys who have started coming on Mondays. They are sweet and funny and very eager to learn. P has been joining the lesson and loves it. My classes away from home have been good too. I just wish I could get more students at home. I've been posting flyers but haven't had much success there. I'm not sure what else to do for advertising but I'm going to have to look into other options. At least from April I'll have the time to do it. Any suggestions? I feel a lot of pressure (from myself) to make more money in order to help King N in the hopes that he will feel less stressed about money. I can deal with my own stress but not his so much. Shit, I enjoy teaching kids, I just need to get more of the little buggers!

I've been going to the gym as much as possible but with Obaachan having a sore back, I've had to cut back on the hours I used to go. Come April, intend to make the gym part of the ridiculous early morning schedule. Right after daycare drop off. Every morning. Unless I actually get students coming to my morning classes. In which case gym will be juggled in between morning and afternoon lessons. But I am going to tone up before summer. Miss C and I WILL be the best looking (and probably only) whities on the beach this summer!

Well, I had better get to sleep as King N will be getting up in 3 hours to head off to a conference in Nara and he's not a quiet morning person. In fact, he has very little understanding of the concept of quiet. He even opens the freaking curtains! That man must be on a suicide mission! If I wasn't so damn tired from writing blog entries at 2 in the morning I might have the energy to get up and kill him. I guess he's a lucky man. Until Monday that is.....
Mwah!
Sassymoo.

2011-03-01T08:12:00.001-08:00

Am not dead, just suffering from a god awful cold.

That is all.

Mwah.
Sassymoo

7 years

2011-02-23T01:08:00.001-08:00

On the 28th of February it will be our 7th wedding anniversary.

Wow, made it to 7 years!

Since it's not really proper to rant about you husband on your anniversary, I'm gonna have a quick one today instead.

So, king n worries a lot about money. It used to be that we'd go shopping, buy stuff we wanted/needed and he'd get a worry attack afterwards for spending too much money. But those were the 2 incomes, pre-princess days. So the worry flitted away quite easily.

Post-princess we were down to 1 income but had planned and saved for the baby so weren't too badly off. Almost everything for the baby was bought/given 2nd hand.( And as she has grown up to the 3 year old she is today, still most of her clothes are gifts from family or 2nd hand.)

When princess p was about 6 months old, I got a part-time job working on weekends for ECC Jr. I wanted to contribute to the family finances, give N and P some bonding time, and give myself a break from baby duties.
Since that time, I have taken on different work, while still taking care of P most of the time, or taking her to work with me, and bring in a salary about half of what king n does. But still he worried.

Money panic didn't begin until we got the house loan. I understand the responsibility and stress that he feels from that. BUT I do not like or understand his inclination to blame me for any money troubles that come up. I guess he doesn't out-right blame me, but it is implied. Implied to the point that it leaves me in tears sometimes. His main worry is that we don't have much in the way of savings. But the main reason for this is that his company doesn't pay him bonuses. Most salarymen get 2 bonuses a year, worth about 3 months pay each time. (I could be wrong about the numbers but that's what I heard). Most people save their bonuses, or use them to pay off house or car loans. (again, that's just a generalization that I heard). So when it comes to saving, we are hit hard by the no-bonus. There is nothing I can do about that. I am frugal with our grocery shopping, things for P, things for myself. I am not into brands and don't complain about not getting a Louis vitton bag for my birthday, or Tiffany bling for Christmas. Trips home are my biggest splurge and I think I can call them a necessity.

But king n still goes around making comments like 'we have to save more money', 'oh, we haven't saved enough', 'we spent too much money this week'. The use of 'we' in those statements pretty much mean me.

Before I went home for Christmas we had a big fight about money. Mainly him blaming me for it. I told him if he didn't lighten the fuck up I would not be coming back from Oz.

Since then he has tried to tone it down. Now I get comments like ' have fun at Costco today but please try not to spend too much. Love you'.
That I can handle. More asking and less blaming.
He still has days where he worries about money and his stress runs over into me but at least it's better.
He was quite stressed when my mum was here cause my students were late paying me so we had to take money out if the sacred loan account to cover what I should have been paid. Even though he and I would both be paid before the money for the loan would be taken out, he was still a ball of stress while my mum was here. God that pissed me off! There were more places I wanted to take her but they got vetoed by king n on the grounds of money. He made me so angry a few times and that seethed over to the point of not being able to hide it. (Sorry about that mum.)I still think my mum had a good time here but I felt like we should have done more with her. Who knows when she will be able to make another trip? We do a lot for his family and in the 7 years we've been together my mum has only visited this once. I'm disappointed he couldn't just suck it up for one month and enjoy the time with my mum.
Hopefully March will be a better month financially and the sassymoo house will become more harmonious.
Princess P will be starting daycare from April so that will free my time up to distribute flyers for my classroom and look into other ways of advertising. I can also go to the gym and hopefully become more healthy and energetic.
But now, for the point of this rant...
King N asked me what I wanted to do for our anniversary. I said nothing since we have to save money. (yes, it was said somewhat bitchy but payback is a bitch afterall). He asked if I wanted to go to the usual nice restaurant we go to for such occasions and I said no, I'm sick of always going to the same places and doing the same things. (that's another rant in itself..). He then says...
'why don't we go shopping and I'll buy you some bling?'
At first I had no idea what he was saying because it was coming out as 'bring'. ( I only taught him the word bling last week and wasn't really expecting it to enter conversation so quickly.)
I was astonished that money-panic man wanted to buy bling so I asked him, 'what do you get if I get bling?'.
He wants some electronic gadget thing. No wonder he offered me bling.
Can someone please teach me the Japanese word for hypocrite?
After all the flack I get about money, it is not ok for us to spend that kind of money on an anniversary gift, even if it does mean I get some bling.

I do love my bling.

But I put my foot down, told him no gifts because we have to be careful with money. After a few more ummm's and ahhh's I suggested we go out for a drink at the bar where we first met. It's romantic and cheap. All food and drinks just ¥300! He went for it. But honestly the whole thing has just shit me off.
Hypocrite hypocrite hypocrite!
I've seriously copped so much stress about money from him and he up and wants to buy gadgets and bling?!?!? Fuck that. And I don't need the inevitable buyer's remorse that would follow. Somehow him wanting to buy me bling would become my fault....
I KNOW it was a lovely thought, and i appreciate him thinking of me, but it should just stay a thought until our anniversary next year... or the year after....

Ah, I feel better getting that off my chest. Some things are just too stupid to keep to yourself...
Mwah.
Sassymoo.

Wahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!

2011-02-20T06:19:00.001-08:00

My mummy left to fly back to Oz tonight. It was sooooo nice having her here. I already feel a bit lonely and being in a room with everyone speaking Japanese makes me miss our conversations in English even more. Princess P's English has improved so much with my mummy being here. In April she will go to daycare and her English will soon be replaced with Japanese so I'm going to enjoy her English until while I can! We didn't really do much sight-seeing with mum. We took her a few places but it was generally her joining me in my usual routine and doing lots of shopping. My students' mums made a little scrapbook for her with a picture/photo from each of my students. It was sooooo cute and really nice of them. They really appreciated that mum came to meet their kids and watch their lessons with me. I am definitely going to miss mum's company. The late nights when king n is working are going to be very lonely again. And princess p is going to miss jumping on her mamar in the mornings and having breakfast together while mummy sleeps in. Yep, mummy will be missing that too. Love you mum!
Mwah.
Sassymoo

Love it and hate it...

2011-02-15T09:10:00.001-08:00

Snow that is.
It rarely snows in this area but this week we have had 2 lots of snowfall that built up.
Being a Queensland Aussie, I am unaccustomed to being cold. Japan winter is hell, and apparently it's freezing over.
I like sitting on my sofa, drinking cocoa and watching the snow build up on the deck. It's tranquil and somewhat mesmerizing.
However, having a 3 year old changes snow for me. She wants to go play in it, make a snowman, run crazy in her gumboots kicking up snow. Considering I was never able to do those things when I was little, I just can't say no. So we've spent a lot of time making the most of the snow. And as freaking freezing as it is, the child in me loves being out there with princess making snowmen.
Mwah
Sassymoo

My cheer up pill

2011-02-08T20:24:00.001-08:00

Mwah
Sassymoo

Puh!

2011-02-08T09:23:00.001-08:00

Damn iPhone ate my post. It was a good post too. All about my recent pregnancy scare, stomach bug, fighting with king n and taking my mum out for drinking and karaoke. But I can't be arsed typing it again so I'm just gonna summarize....
- am not pregnant. Wouldn't have minded if I was but king n would have freaked out. He says I can have a baby if I save 60 man yen. That's not going to happen in a hurry so bye bye baby dreams.
- morning sickness like symptoms turned out to be a nasty stomach bug which kicked my ass for 3 days. Fortunately my mum is the most awesome live-in baby sitter and I actually got to spend entire days in bed sleeping and recovering. She even cooked dinner for king n when the smell of food had me at the point of puking. Mum, you seriously saved me. Please consider never going home.
- was fighting with king n about a number of things. Money, me wanting a baby, sex, his overworking, lack of a social life and the list goes on. We have called a truce until after my mum leaves. There us going to be one doozy of a showdown then.
- C and I took my mum out to our favorite izakaya for dinner and drinks and then off to karaoke. Awesome night! Must fit another one in before mum leaves. Here's some pics of that night to finish off.
Mwah.
Sassymoo

Guess who's Sassymoo

2011-01-30T01:12:00.000-08:00

For those of you who don’t know, Sassymoo, me and Sister T are triplets. (There’s an interesting, complex family drama surrounding our birth but that’s a whole other post). Of us 3 girls Sassymoo and I look alike and Sister T looks totally different, so much so people usually don’t guess we’re related. This led to some interesting lesbian rumours at Uni when Sister T and I were in the same course but our classmates didn’t know we were sisters. Anyway, I was looking through some photos today for no good reason. When looking at photos of Sassymoo and I when we were younger most people have trouble picking who’s who. Sister T always gets 100% (of course) but my husband usually gets around 10%. He’s crap, he admits it. Want to give it a try? How do you think you’ll do? Here are a few photos of us at different ages (it's easier to pick who's who as we get older). Have a look at each and decide which sister is on the RIGHT of the photo- S for Sassymoo and B for me. Post your answers in a comment and I'll send the winner a fabulous prize. I don't know what yet but it will be fabulous, I promise. Happy guessing.

Cheers, B.

The bells! The bells!

2011-01-29T00:41:00.001-08:00

Feeling totally buggered today with Prince P waking up 3 time during the night and then me going to the gym early. I'm glad to be back at the gym but until my body gets back into the routine I'm going to be buggered.
Anyway onto the story. While I was at the gym king N was upstairs probably sleeping and my mum was downstairs watching TV.

The doorbell rang.

Now, I told her not to bother answering the door while she's here since she won't be able to understand whoever is at the door.

It rang again.

She peeked out the window but couldn't really see who it was.

It rang again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

Finally King N got downstairs and answered it. I think you all know who it was.......

One if my neighbors of course.

It was Mrs Kobayashi who is the sweetest oldie in the world, but honey, lay off the bell!
I shouldn't really complain since she actually came over to give my mum an ornamental Japanese fan and some cakes as a gift. But seriously? Ringing the bell 6 times?!?! That's a bit much for a Saturday morning. I think I'm going to have to get a sign next to the bell saying 'for the love of god, just ring once!'.
Mum, welcome to my life....
Mwah.
Sassymoo

Mum in Japan.

2011-01-22T07:51:00.000-08:00

It`s been a pretty busy week, or perhaps not all that busy but just tiring and am still trying to catch up from missed sleep when I was in OZ.It has been fun though! Showing Japan to a complete newbie is fun. Mum is enjoying herself and has been eating well, much to my relief. So here`s a very brief rundown on our week and a few pics.

Mon-Fly out of OZ. 9 hours of boring. Arrive in Japan.

Tues- Sleep in. Give Oz gifts to neighbours. Visit Obaachan. Go to the supermarket.

Wednesday- Sleep in. Go to the 100 yen shop. Go to the wool shop.

Thursday- Meet the lovely C for lunch at our favorite Italian place. Eat amazingly delicious garlic bread.

Fri- Go to Aeon Mall for shopping. Both come home with a number of items but a terribly grumpy toddler.

Sat- Meet SIL`s new baby and give hugs and kisses and hold him alot. Then Sukiyaki party with the inlaws.

It has been a great week. Mum, P and I all still get a bit tired if we go out for too long but hopefully will get into a routine soon. P is loving having her mamar here, and my cats are loving the extra person to give them love. Next week I`ll go back to work and Mum will come along. My students and their mums are looking forward to meeting her. It`s a good chance for them to try and use their English on another foreign person. I think I`ll do an Aussie themed lesson since Mum will be here, and it`s Australia day next week too. I`m going to bring along some vegemite and crackers for the kids to try, and some golden syrup. I might even whip up some anzac biccies to give out too. I`ll have to get planning on Monday for that. I`m also going to have to write up something about the flood in Australia in Japanese for the mums to read so that I don`t have to answer the same questions 20 times. I`ll pop in some of the really dramatic photos so they can see how bad it got and how far it traveled. They were really worried about me so I`d like to give them a good explanation of what happened.

Well, time for bed.Tomorrow we`re going to a bird park in Kobe. It was good last time we went so I think my mum will enjoy it. Princess P certainly will since she`ll get to feed the birds and fish. Pics next post.

Mwah.

Sassymoo

Home Sweet Home

2011-01-18T07:48:00.001-08:00

We are safe and sound back home in Japan and I am exhausted. A good exhausted but exhausted none the less. We left home on Saturday morning to go to Mackay airport. My wonderful BIL very kindly drove us and apart from a speeding ticket the ride went well. I drugged princess p to stop her from getting car sick and the meds put her out for more than half the trip. No vomit and a long nap makes for excellent traveling! The flight down to Brisbane was fine and my sister picked us up. I got to spend time with my teenage niece and nephew. They are both tall, gorgeous kids, and I really enjoyed hanging out with them. They are at an age where they are old enough to just talk to, unlike previous visits when they were younger. They are both keen to visit Japan and were full of questions. I would love to have them come stay and hope they can both visit in the next couple of years.
On Sunday afternoon I went to visit my friend and meet her beautiful baby. Baby Chloe was the cutest little thing and we were all completely smitten with her. And I'm getting clucky and very much wanting a baby of my own. (Remind me I said that in the future when I'm complaining of sleep deprivation). After lunch together and a good chat, we went home and packed up the car and drove to the gold coast to stay with my university friend and her family for our final night. P and I stayed with her on our last trip and P was soooo happy to hang out with her kids again, especially her 2 daughters. P was in barbie heaven the entire time. My other old friend who lives in the area met us there and we had pizza for dinner. The 3 of us did the same course in uni and catching up together was great. I also finally got to meet my old friend's beautiful son. He was adorable and spent the whole evening vacuuming the floor with the toy vacuum cleaner. Next visit I really want to spend more time in Brisbane and the gold coast and spend time with my friends, sister, and niece and nephew. I've missed so much not seeing them. It couldn't be helped this time being stuck in Rockhampton due to the flood but next trip I'm going to stop there first so I don't miss them!
On Monday morning we left for the international airport on the gold coast. 20 minutes into the trip I realized we had left Lovey behind. Holy panic attack batman! We drove back and got him and still made it back to the airport in good time but I think I'm going to have Lovey surgically attached to P to prevent any future incidents. I swear that bloody toy dog has taken years off my life! We had some breakfast and headed to the departure gate. Mum got stopped for a random explosive residue check, then I got stopped for a random pat down. Then going through a security check mum's flask had to be taken out and checked cause it wasn't showing up properly on the X-ray machine. The security guy kept making jokes and took ages to return the flask so by the time we got through we were being paged to board. The plane trip was pretty painless apart from P being extra clingy and me forgetting to pre-book our meals. And since P is going through a growth spurt she was almost constantly hungry. At least all the eating kept her occupied. We arrived in japan and got through immigration and customs in about 10 minutes since there were mostly Japanese people on the flight. We grabbed a snack and jumped on the bus. P got sleepy towards the end of the ride so she was super clingy and shy when King N and his parents picked us up from the bus. Her grandad was super worried that she had forgotten how to speak Japanese! After going home and eating she was happy and played with her daddy.
Today we slept late, had breakfast, handed out Aussie cookies to my neighbours, went and saw Obaachan and aunty, went to the supermarket, had dinner then relaxed. I think my mum enjoyed her first day in japan. Just simple stuff until she settles in and gets used to the cold. Tomorrow I'm taking her to the 100 yen shop which she is going to love!!!
So all in well and happy in sassymoo land. Hope the same goes for all of you.
Mwah
Sassymoo

Goodbye

2011-01-14T14:13:00.000-08:00

Time to leave Rockhampton.

Awesome, wonderful Sister of mine B, I miss you already and will probably still be crying in the car when you read this. Nothing I can write could truly express how amazing you and Bry are. MWAH! I love you.

Sister T, I love you and miss you, and am hoping bubs grows strong and healthy. And that you get some sleep.

To my friends in Rockhampton, thanks so much for making my time here special. I love you too.

Rockhampton flood, I hate you. Don't you dare return!!!!

Mwah.
Sassymoo

Time to get happy

2011-01-13T07:44:00.000-08:00

As you can see from my last post, the flood situation has really got me down. So I think its time I cheered myself up. I spent most of the day doing retail therapy. As a woman, I think it is in my blood that shopping makes me happy. As a woman who hasn't shopped in her home country for 2 years, the shopping buzz is multiplied by about a million. I spent a good 5 hours shopping and could have easily continued if I hadn't run out of cash. I know myself well enough not to leave the house with too much money on me or I may not make it home for days. What did I buy, I hear you ask... Well, this trip has been mostly about me. It was definitely time for me to update my wardrobe and I went a little crazy buying jeans. I have an obsession with jeans. I am constantly on the search for the perfect pair of jeans. When I find them I will buy 100 pairs and be done with it. Until then I will continue to buy good, very good, or close-to-perfect jeans. I have also been shopping around for work stuff. I found quite a few useful workbooks, but not a lot of hands-on resources that I was hoping for. Looks like I will have to continue to make resources this year. Such a time consuming chore but sadly essential. My other main purchase has been that of gifts for family, friends and neighbors. I suppose if you live in Japan, those would be considered essential items.
Tomorrow is my last day in Rockhampton with my lovely sister B. She and her husband has been awesome and there will be tears when it comes time to say goodbye. Tomorrow we are taking the kids to the pool with my other sister and her husband. It will be the last chance for the 3 cousins to play together. Princess P has had such a fun time playing with them this month. She is going to be bored as hell when we get back to Japan and she doesn't have playmates on a daily basis. Must do the enrollment stuff and get daycare for her sorted.
Its going to be strange going home to freezing cold winter. I won't miss sweating everyday but I find the cold oppressive and depressing. I will have to focus on how good ramen tastes in cold weather and how cosy the kotasu will be. I'm just hoping my husband hasn't 'cleaned' the house too much.
Love to all.
Mwah.
Sassymoo.

Going home.....maybe

2011-01-12T03:25:00.000-08:00

We are booked to fly home to Japan on Monday morning. On Saturday morning we will drive North to Mackay and then fly south to Brisbane from there. The flooding has traveled a devastating path and has now hit Brisbane. It has been a dark time for Queensland with the flood destroying houses, shops, farms, cars, anything in its path. An inland tsunami hit one town without warning, seeming to come out of nowhere. Lives were lost and many people are still missing. And it continues to wreak havic in Brisbane. Fortunately my family and friends are all safe where they live. We are hoping that the Brisbane and Gold Coast airports remain functional so that we can fly out as planned. I am honestly exhausted. I have had to stop watching TV as it is all news about the flood and I don't think I can handle hearing more about the loss and devastation. Trying to find a way to get out of Rockhampton has been a stressful, expensive and continuing drama as each plan was somehow thwarted by the progression of the flood. I am not looking forward to the 4-5 hour car ride to Mackay with Princess P who gets car sick, followed by 2 and a quarter hours on a plane. Then we face Brisbane where traffic may keep us in the car for hours as we drive to my sister's house. It is going to be a hard day of travel. Then on Sunday we have to keep calling the airline to make sure our flight hasn't been canceled due to bad weather. Fingers crossed all goes well and we will make it home on Monday. It will be exactly a month since I left. I will miss my family so much but I am ready to go home. Please keep the people of Queensland in your thoughts and prayers. I hope to have a happy 'I'm home' blog for you next week. Until then, stay safe everyone.
Mwah.
Sassymoo

Pukey Princess

2011-01-08T05:53:00.000-08:00

Princess P has been puking for 2 days now. At first I thought it was just her being car sick since we went a few places yesterday. She was fine all day today up until we got about 100 meters from the restaurant we were going to with my family. We had walked there since it wasn't too far away from home and we were all dolled up for dinner out. It wasn't much of a vomit and I was thinking that maybe she'd be right, but then thought better of it. So I took her home while the rest of the family went to dinner. Good thing I did since she has been vomiting repeatedly since we got back. Poor little thing. Poor tired me. I finally got her to sleep but she's already woken once to puke again so it could be a long night. The comment that made my whole evening came from the wonderful Ms B who said 'You have really pretty hair for a woman cleaning up puke.'
Mwah.
Sassy-smells-like-vomit-moo.

Wow!

2011-01-07T16:15:00.000-08:00

My blog has 30 followers!
How did that happen?
Thank you followers!
Mwah.
Sassymoo.

Guest Blogger!!!!!

2011-01-06T02:48:00.000-08:00

Introducing my amazing sister, the wonderful Miss B!!!!!!!

Not sure I can live up to that introduction, but, hi, I’m B. I’m one of Sassymoo’s triplet sisters. From the same egg so we kinda look alike. Take Sassymoo- give her brown hair, a few extra kilos and glasses and ta daa- B. Like Sassymoo I’m an English teacher (ex-NOVA whore), but I teach in Australia and instead of cute little kids I teach 20-50 year old Brazilian and Vietnamese meatworkers (not that much different to teaching kids sometimes). I have a fabulous husband (Bry) who is a primary school teacher and a 2 year old son (W) who specialises in trashing my house and making me laugh.

The most important thing to know about me is I know all of Sassymoo’s secrets he he he he he (evil laugh).

Having Sassymoo here is AWESOME. I miss her so much when she’s not here. Talking on the phone and chatting online just doesn't quite cut it. It's so natural to have her here. She fits right in, W has naturally taken to her, she helps out round the joint which gives me a break, and praises my cooking whether it’s crap or not just because she didn’t have to cook it. Sweet! Of course, the rains and flooding have made this a bit of a restrained trip but it has been nice just to chill out and relax together. What’s even nicer is seeing Princess P and W playing happily together. They adore each other and their cousin X and when they all get together it is complete madness and fun and noise.

Sass thinks I should write a blog, not realising my life is BORING, which is fine with me, I’m a pretty sedate kinda gal, but definitely not worth a blog. So from time to time if the urge to express myself takes me I’ll just hijack Sass’ blog (her password is just one of those secrets I was talking about).

So if you would like to know more about me or about any of Sass’ secrets leave a comment and I’ll address them next time I hijack this blog. Cheers from the flood zone. B

Possibly peaked

2011-01-05T07:47:00.000-08:00

Recent news says the river height has dropped from 9.2m to 9.15m so it may have peaked and is starting to recede...slowly. But there is still talk of thunder storms so the water could well rise again. Fingers crossed that the rains hold off. At some point I have to get back to Japan. If I don't, King N will have 'cleaned' the entire house. Sounds good right? Sadly King N's 'cleaning' pretty much means throwing heaps of stuff away while I'm not looking. So the longer I'm here, the more of my stuff will mysteriously disappear under the guise of New Years cleaning. Fingers crossed he at least cleans the skirting boards before I get back. Such a tedious job.....

Not much going on here at the moment. Mostly we've been staying home and letting the kids run crazy in the backyard. I'm fortunate to have gotten most of my shopping done before the flood became serious. There are a few things left I'd like to stock up on, but that will have to wait until supplies get through or I make it down to Brisbane. As much as this trip has been about spending time with my family and friends, there are so many things I need (want) to buy that I can't back in Japan. My poor sister B has a nasty sinus infection but has been my constant shopping partner since I arrived. Much appreciated B! I have bought the usual omiyage (gifts) for family, friends and neighbours. While I don't mind buying gifts for people back home, I despise having to lug it all back home since boxes of cookies, chocolates, etc, take up so of my precious luggage allowance. At least this trip Princess P has a suitcase I can fill up with toothpaste, bras, vegemite and clothes. I wonder what my husband and inlaws would say if I came home with no gifts? Would my husband reprimand me for breaking such a practiced Japanese custom? Would my inlaws be miffed that they didn't get anything, or mad that I'd have offended the other relies? I think my next trip will be a NO OMIYAGE trip, for the sake of research....

This trip has been different than I expected, due to the flooding more than anything else I suppose. I was hoping to go more places and do more things. I was particularly hoping to get dressed up and go out for New Years' Eve, but with my sister and good friends having newbie babies to look after we opted for a quiet night at home. That made me feel a bit old, to be honest. Not that I wanted to go out and get completely sloshed, but I do like the atmosphere of bars and clubs, and a few drinks and a dance would have been nice. I think such an outing will have to be planned when I get back to Japan. I find it reduces stress to go out on the lash occasionally. (Fi, C, Carrie, I hope you are in the mood for a night out soon. GW, you of course are invited if you can make the trip! You can borrow any top you like...)

Big news, my mother is coming back to Japan with me. It's her first international trip and she and I are both very excited about it!!! She doesn't want to do huge amounts of sight-seeing which is good considering how cold it it now. She is happy just to spend time at home together, watch Poppy while I go to the gym to work off these horrible holiday kilos, meet with King N's family, and come to work with me a bit. The timing is also fortunate as King N's grandma, Obaachan, is still in hospital with a back problem. She seems to be healing slowly and will be home around the 10th. My sister-in-law is due to have her baby any day now, and she is living at the inlaws' place as is custom with Japanese ladies when they give birth, so the house will be busy with the new baby. Usually Obaachan looks after P when I go to work, and recently while I go to the gym. I really don't want her to have to watch P until she is well and truly recovered and the new baby has settled in. I also think the inlaws deserve a nice quiet bonding period with the new baby. Watching P is never quiet. So my mum coming back with me, and happy to watch P is sooooo helpful. Hopefully we will be able to get P into daycare once I get back and get the forms all filled out so Obaachan won't have to watch her anymore. She loves watching P (who is actually very easy to watch as long as you have a princess DVD on hand) but I think its time she rests up. She's 80 after all, and can't do as much as she would like to. So, lots of changes when we get back!

Time for bed, I guess.
Mwah.
Sassymoo

I got my first.......

2011-01-02T05:22:00.000-08:00

sunburn of 2011 today.

Despite the weather report saying it would rain today, it turned out to be a nice sunny day so B and I took Princess P and Prince W to the waterpark nearby. We had an awesome time! The kids played in the shallow pool together and with us, and B and I were able to sit back and chat while they played, keeping an eye on them of course. Much fun gossiping and catching up on things. We haven't really had that much alone time since I arrived so it was nice sister bonding time. We are lucky to have kids who happily entertain each other and who are well behaved. A total drama-free day, apart from my sunburn. And I swear I lathered on the suncream! I guess there's always that spot you miss.....

So that's the good that's been going on. Now for the bad.

It has been hot and steamy here in Rockhampton due to the recent rain. The trains, airport and highway have all been officially closed due to flooding and the river keeps on rising. People in the flooded areas have lost their houses and have been evacuated to the University's big sports center for emergency housing. The flooding is expected to peak tomorrow or the next day, although there are storms predicted for the next 3 days so it may not peak until much later. Once it's peaked, it is expected to take 10 days or so to recede and then hopefully transport will start moving and the clean-up will begin. There was a big community effort to make sand-bags today for houses in the flood area. Many businesses are donating money and supplies to help out. The link below is for photos of the flood.
http://www.themorningbulletin.com.au/photos/galleries/rockhampton-flood-update-3112/#id=rockhampton-flood-update-3112&num=1
Am I very fortunate that my family lives on the north side of the river away from the flood area. It is unlikely that we will be flooded. Our main concern is getting bread, milk and other fresh foods that have run out due to supply trucks being unable to enter Rockhampton by the closed highway. But really, that's nothing compared to what the flood victims are going through. Its so sad that some people have lost everything they own. I am overwhelmed with this flood as it was something I totally didn't expect to happen while I was home. I never thought I'd get stuck here, although I am not unhappy having more time to spend with my family. I have changed my return ticket to Japan and now feel less stressed out. However I will most certainly start stressing out if the water hasn't receded by the time I need to leave.
Enough of the bad stuff. I will leave you as always with some photos. Beware, bums ahead!
Mwah.
Sassymoo.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

2010-12-31T06:41:00.000-08:00

May 2011 be a year of happiness, fun, good health and laughter for you!!


MWAH!!!!!!!!

Who knew...

2010-12-30T03:45:00.000-08:00

that Australia actually floods?!?!!?

Well, I guess those living here permanently might have clued in.

But me, who visits every 1-2 years has never experienced a flood. In fact, I think its been drought drought drought and water restrictions every time I've visited home in the past 11 years. It has rained almost the entire time I've been here and the Fitzroy river is way up and looks to continue rising with all the rain up north feeding into it. There has also been talk of the Emerald dam breaking due to cracks from a previous flood which would send an awfully large amount of water down our way. My sister's house is nowhere near the river so we should be fine, but getting myself back to the gold coast in time to make my flight back to Japan might be impossible. My mother, who is here helping my sister with her new baby, will be coming home with me for a month of Japanese winter, and I had planned to take the train down to her place in Gympie on the 5th and stay a couple of nights. My uncles who also live there have never met princess P so it was a priority on my list of things to do this trip. After that we had planned to head down to Brisbane to see my sister and friends before flying out on the 10th. But the train hasn't been running since the tracks are flooded in Bundaburg and the price for plane tickets has sky-rocketed. Not to mention that there is a good chance the airfield will flood and planes will be grounded anyway.
So, we could well be stuck. I don't mind being stuck. I do mind not knowing what is going to happen with this flood and if my current travel arrangements will stand.
I think they won't.
So, tomorrow I think I"ll be on the computer canceling/changing our current travel plans for a week later. Hopefully by then the flood water will have receded and it will be possible to go. Then I'll have to contact all my students and cancel their lessons. Pain in the ass. But I think its unavoidable. The past few days there has been a lot of flood news on TV but I was still in my delusional world that Australia couldn't possibly flood. But now that bread and milk are sold out in the store,s along with many fruit and vegetables, as trucks can't get through the flood water, I have finally snapped out of my delusional world and realized that this whole flood thing is quite serious.
I just heard on TV that it has been predicted that the flood water will peak on Sunday and be up for 10 days.
Yep, will be changing my travel plans tomorrow. At least I'll have an extra week or so with my awesome family.
I will most likely be drinking a bit tomorrow to celebrate the new year, and suffering with a hangover the day after, so I will wish you all a HAPPY NEW YEAR now. I hope you ring in the new year with family, friends, fun and no floods.....
Mwah.
Sassymoo.

OZ, how I've missed thee

2010-12-19T22:18:00.000-08:00

Our trip home was great. Princess P was awesome! No tantrums, crying or running around. She slept a bit and managed to stay quiet when she woke up at 3 am until the rest of the passengers were woken for breakfast around 5 am. I'm really proud of her.
After arriving in the Gold Coast, my sister Shell picked us up (P fell asleep in the car and had to be woken on arrival). We went and had breakfast with our good friend. P was sleepy by this time and was shy but still well behaved and no tantrums. After breakfast we went to Shell's place (P fell asleep in the car and had to be woken on arrival) where P got to play with my sister's boyfriend's kids. She loved playing with the 5 girls. We headed off to the domestic airport around 2 pm, (P fell asleep in the car and had to be woken on arrival) got a snack and headed to our departure gate. The plane was delayed but P was good keeping herself amused and playing. When we finally boarded and left it was such a bumpy flight which made P airsick. Yay for those little bags and P's ability to say 'Mummy, vomit'. No mess and P went to sleep for the rest of the flight. By this time she was sooooo tired that I couldn't wake her and had to carry her off the plane. No wonder after sleeping and being woken so many times during the day. (Sorry P!)
My sister Bron, BIL and nephew picked us up and we headed to their home. My other sister Trice soon came over with her husband and son. Despite being so tired, P had fun playing with her cousins and they decorated the Christmas tree together. They also went crazy jumping on the bed together, then taking a bath. Apart from being understandably shy during the day, she was a trooper for the entire trip. She slept for 13.5 hours and is now happy and much less shy around her aunties and uncles.
Yesterday we went swimming at Trice's house and P LOVED it! Her cousins both swim well and she had fun splashing about with them. Today we went shopping and she enjoyed the little Wiggles ride in the shopping center. I was able to buy bras and underwear so I'm a happy woman (with nice perky boobs. Corinne, want me to bring you back some push-up bras?). I was also able to get some long sleeved tops and a pair of cords at a huge discount. Perfect for when I go back to winter in Japan. Especially nice as I wasn't expecting to find anything but summer clothes. When we got home, Bron and I did a bit of cleaning and the kids are napping. Tonight we will wrap Christmas presents and get sorted a bit more. I'm already feeling relaxed and happy. Just talking with my sisters and catching up on gossip has been great.
I miss King N but he is on a mission to 'clean the house' and I am very glad I'm not there to watch. I can already envision the fight that is going to come when I arrive home in 3 weeks to find he's throw half my stuff out. Culling is not cleaning so hands off my stuff sweety. All I really want him to do is vacuum and dust the skirting boards but I expect that he will forget that in his rush to 'clean' our spare room. We have been meaning to get it sorted out since we moved and things without a place to be put were shoved in there for 'the time being'. That time being April, so we vowed it would get done these holidays, but that was before I decided to go to Oz. My husband cleaning unsupervised is a scary thought...... I will post a pic of the 'cleaned' spare room when I get back home.
In the meantime I'm not going to stress out too much. I want to enjoy my family and have Aussie fun with P. The Christmas spirit here is amazing. Bron has had presents and decorations bought and ready well in advance of the festive season and has a few cooking activities planned to do with the kids. Going out shopping today we were able to see Santa and there are Christmas decorations everywhere. Unlike Japan with its Christmas decorations, here they fill people with happiness knowing Christmas is almost here. And no creamy, strawberry laden cakes, or KFC Christmas chicken in sight! Christmas obviously means something to people here and it is nice to be a part of that.
I hope you are all full of the Christmas spirit, wherever you are for this festive season. I'll leave you with just a few photos....
Mwah.

Sassymoo

Thankful Thursday.

2010-12-09T02:56:00.001-08:00

I read in a book recently that being thankful makes you happier. A lot of bloggers do thankful Thursday posts but I don't plan to make a habit of it. The things I'm thankful for don't change so often. Occasionally I'm going to pop one or two into my posts but since today happens to be Thursday and I happen to be feeling thankful, here comes a thankful Thursday post. I will try to make it interesting.
- thanks for my students. Not only do they supply my income but there are some funny buggers in there. I have the sweetest 7 year old boy in my Thursday class who is absolutely obsessed with breasts. It's not in a creepy way, more of a interested in the difference between them type thing. I took a magazine to work as part of our shopping unit. As soon as he saw the cover model, who was fairly covered up I thought, he had to buy it. He was borrowing play money off friends to have enough. Then he sat down and read it making comments on the women's boobs. Most funny was 'geez, these are so much bigger than my mum's!'.
I also have sweet 3 year old huggers and 5 year old wrestlers. I know without a doubt that they like and trust me and that makes me feel good. They even share their candy with me.
- thanks for good inlaws. Since I joined the gum they have been watching P for 2-3 hours a day, as well as when I work. Grandma has built her hospital schedule around my gym schedule. Often they feed P dinner if I'm out late and make sure she is happy and cared for. I am thankful that they love me and P so much that they babysit for free so often. As grandma says, she has to get as much time with P as possible before she dies. The woman is 80 so I guess she's being practical but man I wish she wouldn't say stuff like that.
- thanks for friend C who is my best buddy here. She is my Costco buddy, starbucks buddy, drinking partner, and drug mule. Without her I think the lonliness would eat me up. We have a drinking date on Saturday night. I may or may not post photos. Depends on how drunk we look.
- Thanks for P. As difficult as she can be sometimes, she is really funny and makes me laugh a lot. Also, the random hugs, kisses, and " i love you mummy" s make my heart melt.
- thanks for my family, most of all to B who is paying for P and me to go home for Christmas. It is such and overwhelmingly generous gift that I will be forever grateful.
- thanks to Nobu who folded all the washing last weekend. I absolutely hate folding and putting away washing. Fingers crossed it will become a habit.
- thanks to the gym. While I'm not losing much weight I am putting on muscle and my headaches have all but gone. And I love the 'me' time I get when I go there.

Well, I think that is enough thankfulness for 1 post. There's lots more but it will have to wait. With the Christmas spirit welling up in me there will be more sappy posts to come.

And of course, a big thanks to those who follow and read my blog. The comments and support always make me happy.
Mwah.
Sassymoo.

Bicycles, trains and....

2010-12-02T00:43:00.001-08:00

..... Well, that's it for my normal weekly forms if transportation.
Yesterday I was in a pretty foul mood, mainly tired grumpiness with a bit of I-hate-japan thrown in. But for the first time yesterday I did something that made me feel a little better.....

Road rage

Well, a fairly passive, Japanese kind of road rage, and I was on my bicycle. Usually I'm not one to aggressively get from A to B. I don't usually ring my bell to get people to move. I usually just wait until there is a chance to pass. If I do ring my bell it is a quick single ring and I find myself still feeling bad about making people move for me.
But not yesterday.
I rang the crap out of my bell! Bicycle road rage, Sassymoo style! No single polite rings but loud bursts of ringy noise meant to scare the shit out of anyone standing/walking in my way. And yesterday there were many of those people. Gee, did they pick the wrong day to be out in Kawanishi. I made 3 people visibly jump and many step hastily to the side. Just so you know, this kind of behavior is fairly typical bicycle behavior in Japan. It wasn't just some crazy gaijin getting her jollies by harrassing poor innocent Japanese pedestrians.
Well, it was.
But bell-ing people to move is the done thing here. I just don't usually do it. I honestly think it's rude and even in road rage mode I don't make old people or children move. So I'm not completely evil. King N told me that apparently it's actually illegal to ring your bell from behind someone. No idea where he got that from but if it's true then 99.8% of Japan didn't get the memo.
I may actually become a bit bell aggressive but not to the point of rude. It's amazing what power a little bicycle bell holds.

Next point of travel, the train to work. I somehow manage to sit across from people who stare rudely or look at me with hate. Maybe it's my road rage karma coming back to haunt me but I was stuck across from this woman fir 20 minutes.

Every single time I glanced up she was staring at me. Sooooo rude and soooo not the day to be doing it to me. I stared her down about 5 times and she still persisted. So I spent the next 10 minutes randomly taking photos of her and making her feel uncomfortable. How do you like that bitch! That's how evil I was feeling yesterday. I'm usually one to let crap like that go but not yesterday. Sorry lady, but I hope you learned your lesson staring at gaijin.
I am not an animal!

So today I am feeling much better. (Lucky for all those around me and on my train line. ) Princess P and I spent a lovely morning in the park, something my chronic tiredness hasn't allowed for in a long time. We met 3 kids and mums and had a good time. At the end she didn't want to come home. I even gave my cars to one mum and told her about my classroom. It made me feel dirty, selling myself at the playground, but you do what you have to do, right?

She's a lovely little girl with the personality to do well on English lessons so hopefully her mum will call. If not, it's all good.
Well, work calls. I'd just like to say I haven't elbowed a single person on this bus.
Thank you, yes, I'm very proud.
Mwah.
Sassymoo.

Wah Wah Wah

2010-11-30T02:58:00.001-08:00

I'm having a very up and down time lately where I sometimes laugh out loud, or feel like a mental breakdown is near. Not a very stable way of living but sadly I am ruled by my emotions and they are a bitch.
In no particular order, here are my jumbled thoughts.
- I am tired ALL the time. This has been going on for a while to the point where I had a blood test to see if there was something medically wrong. See previous posts for those details. Nothing medically wrong with me but zero advice from the doc as to what may be causing it. I'm taking every known vitamin and mineral possible. I joined the gym. I was on sleeping pills and off them. I go to bed early/late/sometime in between and I still wake up feeling like I haven't slept. I'm so sick of being tired and not knowing why. I may have to do a test to rule out a pregnancy, even though I'm on the pill, because I can't think of what else could be making me this tired. Next step will be a full physical with my doctor.
-I'm so happy to be going home for Christmas. I am slowly acquiring small gifts to take home. Princess P and I talk about the people we'll see and the things we'll do in Oz every night before bed. She has started playing with her dolls like they are aunty B or mamar which is adorable. When I get her dressed in the mornings she knows that Aunty P sent the skirt, or mamar sent the shirt. Little things that she says like that make me happy and so homesick at the same time. I can't wait to finally see my family, for P to meet her family at an age where she can 'understand', and they can enjoy her personality. Most of all I'm looking forward to having the support of my family around me. I don't have that here and life is hard without it. A lot of you out there know that feeling, right.
I can't wait to see my niece and nephews, all so much bigger than the last time I saw them. P will have a chance to play with her cousins and get to know them. I will be there snapping a million photos. I wish it was the 17th already.
- had another pet scare today. I found my hamster Boo-chan lying on the bottom of her cage dead. I wrapped her gently in a little towel and put her in the living room so King N could say goodbye before we buried her. I went about getting the house clean, lesson prepared and dinner started when I looked over at her and she moved! Scared the crap out of me! I called FIL an he took her to the vet for me. She got a shot and we have to keep her warm and hope for the best. Princess P wasn't too phased about a possibly dead hamster. Her reaction to the news, 'Awww, Boo-chan died........ New hamster?".
Awesome moving on there P. No attachment issues to worry about with her obviously. Will keep you updated with hamster status.
- my classroom still only has 3 students. I'm a bit crushed by that. My hopes of a thriving at-home classroom so I can quit my other classes are very much dashed. Looks like I'll be commuting and lugging about heavy resources for a long while longer. I'll give advertising another bash when I get back from Oz and hopefully have some success.
- things between me and King N are good. No recent fights or anything and there has even been the occasional early night where he's home before 10pm.
- I'm enjoying the gym despite not losing any weight yet. I feel stronger and the 'me' time is so nice. Hardly anyone talks to me which I much prefer when I'm slogging my guts out on the weight machines. There is one foreign instructor at the gym. A big black guy who, despite his size, teaches technical aerobics. I've watched his class and it's frikin hard. I've been avoiding him, mainly because I just want to do my own thing at my own pace. But he cornered me yesterday and did the chit-chat introduction. He has quite a following of middle aged Japanese ladies and they all looked on enviously as we conversed in English. He wants me to join his class. Um, I couldn't even get the steps right for the beginners aerobics so there is no chance in hell that I'll do anything but make a big fool of myself. But I know that if he corners me before his class again I'll end up saying yes. If nothing else, his little following of ladies will hate it and that gives me a bit of perverse pleasure. I might even make a friend...
- princess p's movie of the week is ' The cat in the hat'. Finally something that is completely wiggles and princess free. I wonder how long it will take for me to hate it?
- Sick cat is fully on the mend and putting weight finally. And he's back to adoring me and wanting love all the time. I'm so glad!
- December is here so I can start teaching Christmas stuff for my lessons. Lots of games and crafts. I have to plan 5 Christmas parties but I think this year we'll just decorate cookies. Fun, messy and yummy!
-I hate winter. Too frikin cold.

Ok, I think I've vented enough to get me through the week. Here's hoping for a few more laughs and a few less mental breakdowns.
Mwah
Sassymoo

A boring week.

2010-11-25T02:44:00.001-08:00

Not much going on in Sassymoo land. My sick cat seems to be on the mend and we avoided a huge vet bill which was good. Not that I ever want to do another kitty enema.
I'm slowly gathering gifts to take home for my family at Christmas. I'm having trouble with one gift for one of my brother-in-laws. Mainly that I don't want to give him anything except a smack in the mouth for being rough with my sister. But to avoid makng waves I will go get him something Japanezy and be done with it. And something adorable for sister's baby who will be arriving before or during my trip. Fingers crossed for an easy birth. When I get back to Japan in January my sister-in-law will have had her baby too. Will have to get some cute Ausssie baby stuff for her. I also have to be on the lookout for an identical lovey as a spare for princess p's one. That is at grandad's request.
Feeling really run down and am eager to head to OZ and see my family and friends, soak up some sun and rest. And shop, shop, shop. I'm saving all my cash for that. Bras that fit! What a luxury!!!!
Mwah.
Sassymoo

The good, the bad and the totally gross

2010-11-22T07:18:00.001-08:00

The Good:
A late surprise party for the lovely Miss C since we didn't end up getting our usual birthday girl's night out on her actual birthday. Lots of food, gossip, kids running crazy and plenty of laughs.
The Bad:
Margarita headache the following morning. It's a sign that I'm getting old that my body has recently decided to reject tequila in a violent hangover type way. And i only had half a tiny glass of margarita! This headache was totally unfair! My guests that slept over ended up fending for themselves for breakfast as well as watching and feeding my child AND doing my dishes! Holy crap I have awesome friends!!!! Fortunately a large amount of pills, sports drink and a boiling hot shower saw me functioning again. The little ones went and played outside in their pajamas and totally cuted out my neighbours who had just finished the neighbourhood clean up.( Oops, missed that due to tequila headache. Slept through the last one as well. Must definitely make it to the next one.)
The Gross:
My cat Mochi has chronic constipation and it got to the point that he needed a kitty enema. To get it done at the vet cost over $200 so after much research on how to do it, and having watched the vet do it last time, I gave it a go. Gross is by far an understatement. But, it was successful and we now have a mostly empty cat who has his appetite back and is drinking again. Hopefully he is on the mend and we wont have to make an expensive trip to the vet until at least after payday. Now if only I could forget the smell I'd be a happy girl. ....
Mwah.
Sassymoo

My poor baby!

Nakedness

2010-11-10T23:44:00.001-08:00

Just to update on my last naked related post, I did the naked at the gym thing yesterday. Turns out there were a few showers with doors right next to the bath area entrance so I was only naked for a few seconds going in and out. Next time I will just keep my towel on and hang it over the door. Very much relieved about that. I have to say though that the extremely large jet bath looks pretty good. But not good quite good enough for me to go completely starkers with a bunch of naked strangers.

In other news.....um, well, actually no other news. My life at the moment is mummy duties, gym and work. I'm a bit concerned that I've only been able to get a few students to join my classroom. I know some of you readers out there have your own English schools/classes and I was wondering what you do to get students. I've done 3 flyer drops of the surrounding areas with little response. Is it bad timing perhaps? I might have to tweak my ideas a bit. Any advice would be appreciated.
And speaking of work, time for me to head of the my one and only class today. Maybe I'll squeeze in a quick coffee before I go...
Mwah.
Sassymoo

I didn't have to get naked!

2010-11-04T01:46:00.001-07:00

Now there's a title that needs some explanation.....

So, I joined a gym. It's something I've wanted to do pretty much since the princess was still little, but due to the lack of money, time and a babysitter it wasn't really possible. But princess p just turned 3 and I decided it was time for me to get back into shape. I had long discussions with King N over the past year about wanting to go back to the gym but these conversations never panned out. But since the doctor told me I might have diabetes, I sat king n down and pretty much said that we had to figure out something or what was the point of me coming back from OZ after Christmas. Pretty harsh but got the point through. We discussed sending princess p to daycare and went to the city hall to get the paperwork. When king n saw the cost he freaked out a bit as it was twice as much as he was expecting. The gym idea almost died there. But I kicked up quite a stink and showed that the money is doable with my salary. Turns out there are no places available until December, and since p and I will be heading off to OZ halfway through the month,daycare will just have to wait until January. So in the meantime, the inlaws will watch her when they can, and my neighbor Chie will babysit when they can't. So finally the gym thing has been sorted and I started on monday.

But what does that have to do with nakedness, i hear you say?

Well, japan is big on communal bathing and my gym is the same. I, on the other hand, am not. Very not in fact. In the 11 years I've been in japan, I've bathed naked in front of strangers only once. It was not a pleasant experience. So I don't bathe at the gym since I'm going straight home anyway.
Wednesdays and Thursdays however, I have to go to the gym on the way to work which makes bathing necessary.
Fortunately yesterday was a public holiday do I didn't have to go to work after the gym. So today was to be the big day for my public nudity. Thursdays are the weekly day off for my branch of the gym so on the way to work I planned to go to a different branch. I packed my bag with the usual gym stuff plus a bath towel and toiletries. I was ready for my bath debut. The only problem was that I read the map wrong and couldn't find the bloody gym! I thought it was near the station on my train line but after wondering around I checked again and it's on a completely different train line which was over the other side of Amagasaki and just too far to walk. So my gym plans were foiled and no nakedness for me.
Seriously yay for the no nakedness but I really wanted to get in a workout before work. Next week I will try a different branch on an alternative route to work and let you know how the nakedness debut goes.
There hasn't been any nakedness on my part as of yet at my gym, but I have to say Japanese ladies sure ain't shy! In the 3 days I've been to the gym so far I have seen a large number of boobies and more scary, full frontals. Don't they own towels? Please ladies, be kind to the prudish gaijin and cover up!!!!!
Mwah.
Sassymoo.

2010-11-01T06:14:00.001-07:00

... but have a headache that just won't quit!!! I fed it pills, iced it, gave it water, slept, had a bath, but the bastard is still hanging around. Not much else to do but try to have a good night's sleep and get some extra strength pills in the morning if it's still hanging around. I must stock up on the good headache pills when I head to OZ for Christmas.
That's right, international flight coming our way! A trip was not on the cards this year due to buying the house but my awesome sister and her amazing husband bought tickets for the princess and I to go home. I am soooo feeling the love and am super excited to finally be seeing my family after almost 2 years!!!! B, and hubby B, I love you and appreciate this trip so much. Hopefully I will be able to do some awesome payback for your Japan trip in the future.
Ok, headache is stabbing my brain so it's time to sleep.
Mwah.
Sassymoo.

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Location:Am alive

2010-10-25T08:09:00.003-07:00

Just popping in to say hi. I haven't been feeling well and the doctor scared the crap out of my saying I might have type 2 diabetes. Blood test came back as perfectly normal so a whole weekend wasted researching, crying and worrying. Thanks doc. The official diagnosis is that I'm run down. Um, I have a frikin genki 3 year old, of course I'm bloody run down. Show me a mother who isn't and I swear I'm switching kids. But the possibility I might have had diabetes did lead to a productive discussion with king n. For months and months now I've been asking for his (and him asking the inlaws) for help so I can get some exercise time. He always says he'll help but then the conversation is forgotten and no help us given. This time I put my foot down and really pushed the point that I'm worried about my own health and I AM JOINING THE GYM. Before princess p was born I really enjoyed the gym and have so wanted to go back but having no time to do so. After much discussion we have decided that princess p will go to daycare as soon as a place opens up. King n really wants her Japanese to improve and I really want her to get more kiddy interaction. And of course this will free up my non working hours to go to the gym. We also took the time, over coffee, to make a list of personal goals, and a list of things the other person could do to make the other happy. For example, my list included help with P without having to ask all the time. Also more affection. His list included me keeping track of the money we spend and being a but more on top of the cleaning. It was a really helpful exercise and has helped us get back on track with helping ourselves and each other become more happy. So lots to do this week with joining the gym, paperwork at city hall for daycare, a doctors appointment, and 3 days of Halloween parties at work. Today was a busy day making pinatas for the parties, and keeping princess p away from all the Halloween candy. Yep, I'm definately feeling run down. Can't wait until Halloween us over! Better get to sleep.
Mwah.
Sassymoo.

2010-10-25T08:09:00.001-07:00

A quiet weekend

2010-10-17T18:22:00.001-07:00

We had planned to get all the errands done on Saturday and then maybe go somewhere on Sunday.

Didn't happen.

Woke up with the pms grumpies and had no desire to leave the house. King N watched Princess P so I could have a morning nap. I felt much less grumpy after waking up so I tag-teamed with King N so he could have a nap too. He was tired from staying up to all hours playing playstaion 3. We just relaxed all afternoon then ordered chinese for dinner.
On Sunday we slept in, went and had sushi for lunch, then did all the errands. We went to Conan for the usual household goods, and somehow managed to come home with a big fat hamster we have named boo-chan. While princess p likes her, it was actually me who wanted to buy her. Princess p actually wanted a chinchilla that cost about 3man yen so I think Boo-chan was a bargain at 500 yen.
Toasted sandwiches for dinner, some tv and a nice long bath finished off our lazy weekend.

Mwah.
Sassymoo

Didn't get the memo...

2010-10-12T21:48:00.001-07:00

On the train, and walking around, I noticed something...

My naked feet.

Well, not entirely naked of course. This is japan after all. I had on a pair of open-toed shoes and, I kid you not, I was the ONLY one with visible flesh down there! There was one guy wearing sandals but he was wearing them with socks so I don't think it counts. And yes, I wanted to slap some fashion sense into him. The more I checked out other people's feet, the more obscene my feet started to feel. I know it's autumn, but it 27 degrees out today. I really don't feel the need to wear covered in shoes that require stockings or socks. I saw one lady at the bus stop take her stocking clad foot out of her shoe and fan it around to cool off, then repeat with the other. Poor old gal conforming with society and giving her feet heat stroke. As I take my poor, semi-naked feet off to work, I'd just like to say, japan, you really are stupid sometimes.
Mwah
Sassymoo.

Bad, good, bad.

2010-10-11T08:28:00.001-07:00

Bad- woke up with a migraine that took me out until after 1pm.

Good- felt better and we went to a nearby rose park. P had an awesome time running crazy, and playing with bubbles and balloons. I got to practice using my new camera and got some fun shots.

Bad- P was in a bad mood when we hit home. I put it down to her missing her nap and got on with making dinner. When it was ready I went upstairs to get P and N who were watching a movie in our room. P was still grizzling. I picked her up and was shocked at how hot she felt. I checked and her temperature was 39.1 degrees. No wonder she was in a shit mood. Crap evening from there, taking turns with N to watch P. She seems to have calmed down finally but is not even close to sleeping. It's going to be a long night.
I'll leave you with some pics from this weekend. Please send some genki vibes our way!
Mwah.
Sassymoo.