finding your partner-in-crime

Once upon a time, in a faraway land known as "Mie", a young lady was about to meet her Prince Charming. At a barbecue. After a few hiccups (she asked the Canadian prince what part of the States he was from, followed by sussing out his "preference" by asking him what team he jousted for), the two hit it off. He showed off his sense of humour (as he knew all women loved a man with one) by sharing a joke about ice-fishing and Canadian delicacies (read: moose dick) and as fate with have it, unbeknownst to prince, he had prepared what was the young lady's favourite food: potatoes.

Songs were sung by the fire and many a fine brews consumed. As the evening came to an end, the young lady knew she had to have more of those potatoes someday and was sad that she had to part with the prince.

"Perhaps you can come visit me in the grand city of Tokyo, my lady," said the prince. "Though my palace is a shoebox I would be honoured to put you up," he offered.

She was flattered and replied, "I will send word when I am free to visit." With that she jumped into her friend's car and went home to replay the conversations they had had together.


skip to the present

A lot of potatoes, laughter, tears and a voyage to the prince's native land later, our pair of not-so-star-crossed lovers are engaged to be married; left to live happily-ever-after.

The end.

On a more serious note, I'm totally freaking out about the engagement party coming up this Saturday. Forty-five guests to feed and entertain! I hope it turns out OK.

25 Facts About Maggie (日本語版)

こちらは私についての２５個の面白い点です。変な日本語を使ってしまったら許してください。

1. 初めて男から花をもらったのは今年のバレンタインデーだった。
2. ジャガイモが大好きです。残りの人生に毎日ポテトサラダしか食べられなくても満足です。
3. 私が作ったポテトサラダを食べたことのない人は、本当のポテトサラダを食べたことがないということです。
4. 小２か小３の頃、眼鏡をかけるのが楽しそうなぁっておもったので眼鏡をかけなければならなくなるために眼科に行く前にいつも自分の目を寄り目しました(I used to cross my eyes)。今は「blind as a bat」(「コウモリと同じ位盲目だ」、つまり、眼鏡かけないと全然見えないこと)。
5. 結婚式でShania Twainの「From This Moment」という曲をかけたいです。
6. 愛犬が亡くなったときに神様や天国の存在について考えたことがある。二十歳でした。
7. ダイヤモンドネックレスより心からのメッセージの書いてあるカードや手紙のほうが好きです。プレゼントをもらうことにあまり大切にしない。
8. しかし、プレゼントをあげるのが好きです。相手にぴったり合うものを選ぶことが得意です。
9. ７番はいっても、７歳か８歳に親からスパゲティー缶詰のクリスマスプレゼントをもらったことを覚えています。そのときは少しがっかりでした。
10. 小学校で生徒達が毎年ミュージカルを上演した。実は主役になりたかったが恥ずかしがり屋だったのでオーディション受けなかった。
11. 注目を浴びるのがいやで("I hate being the centre of attention")、スピーチするのも嫌いです。
12. というわけで、なぜ学校の先生になったか全然分からないです。
13. 彼氏のことを考えているときに、時々「The Sound of Music」のある曲を思い出す。（映画の終わりでキャプテンVon Trappとマリアがやっと告白した後の二人で歌う曲。）
14. たばこ吸うことはいやなくせだと思いながら、時々吸ってしまう。
15. インターネットデートサイトを使ったことがあります。やさしい、普通の人と出会えた。
16. 白人ばかりの地域で育ったせいで、小学生のとき、自分も金髪の髪や青い目があればいいなぁと思っていました。そして、家以外の場所で広東語で話すことも恥ずかしかったです。
17. 今はそれはバカな考えだと思います。そして、一つ以上の言語が喋られるのを誇りに思う。
18. １０キロを走るトレーニングをやっています。
19. 大学生の時にある女の子にお熱を上げた。
20. 高１の職場体験は動物院で働きました。無意識であったロットワイラー（凄くでかい犬）を私が寄りかかろうとした手術台から 滑り落ちさせてしまいました。（手術台はシーソーのように上下の動きだった。）部屋には私しか誰も居なかったから頭が真っ白になっちゃって犬をまた手術台 の上に運ぼうとしたら大失敗。
21. 初めての恋人との連絡は今でも取っています。
22. スヌーピーのコミックが大好きです。Charles M. Schulz（創作者）のような漫画家になりたかったんです。彼が亡くなったときはとても悲しかった。
23. キャリアウーマンになりたかったです。高い給料をもらって、素敵な服を着たりかっこいい車を運転したりしたかったです。結婚や子供を産むことは嫌だった。だが、今は「主婦」という役割が何か良いなぁと思い始めました。
24. 浮気して恋人を傷つける人を理解できません。
25. 今のところは自分の人生の中に一番幸せな時期です。

25 Facts About Maggie

Here twenty-five interesting things about me.

1. The first bunch of flowers that I have ever received from a boy was on Valentine's Day this year.
2. I love potatoes. If I could only eat one food for the rest of my life it would be potato salad.
3. You haven't eaten potato salad until you've tried mine.
4. When I was 7 or 8 I thought it'd be fun to wear glasses, so before going to the optometrist I'd always cross my eyes on purpose, hoping that it would make me need glasses. Now, I'm as blind as a bat and it sucks!
5. I want Shania Twain's "From This Moment" to be played at my wedding.
6. I once wondered about the existence of a God and heaven when my dog died. I was 20.
7. I prefer a card or letter with a heartfelt and sentimental message over a diamond necklace. I honestly don't place much importance on receiving presents.
8. I do, however, like giving them, and am very good at picking presents for people.
9. On saying number 7, I remember getting a can of spaghetti for Christmas from my parents. I was 7 or so and couldn't help but feel just a little disappointed.
10. In primary school, the students would put on an "operetta" (musical) every year. I secretly wanted a lead role, but was too shy to audition.
11. I hate being the centre of attention and am deathly afraid of public speaking.
12. This makes me wonder why I became a teacher.
13. When I think about my boyfriend sometimes that song from the Sound of Music come to mind. (The one at the end which Captain Von Trapp and Maria sing when they finally realise they love each other)
14. I think smoking is a disgusting habit, but sometimes just can't help myself.
15. I've tried internet dating and did meet nice normal people.
16. Having grown up in a predominantly white neighbourhood and being an Asian kid in primary school I used to wish I had blonde hair and blue eyes, and hated speaking Cantonese in public.
17. I now realise how stupid that was and am pretty proud that I can speak more than one language.
18. I'm currently training to run 10km.
19. I had a girl crush in university.
20. I did my year 10 work experience at a veterinary hospital, where I made an unconscious rottweiler slide off an operating table that I had leaned on (the table moved like a see-saw, which I didn't know). As there was no one in the room but me, I panicked and tried to drag the dog back onto the table, but failed miserably.
21. I still keep in touch with my first lover (as friends, of course).
22. I love Snoopy comics. Charles M. Schulz (the creator) made me want to be a cartoonist when I was a kid and I was so sad when he died.
23. I used to want to be a career woman - get paid a shitload, wear nice clothes and drive a nice car. The thought of being married and having kids did not appeal to me at all. Now the idea of being a housewife doesn't sound so bad to me.
24. I don't understand why or how people can hurt their partners by cheating on them.
25. I've never been happier with my life than I am now.
    

ps - I tag you Scott.

deli-style cold pasta salad

DELI-STYLE COLD PASTA RECIPE (serves 2 very hungry people!)
Ingredients:

• 200g shell pasta
• 1 small eggplant, chopped
• half a yellow capsicum, chopped
• a few chunks of sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• a few leaves of fresh basil, chopped
• Italian dressing
• basil pesto
• 1/4 of a chicken breast
  

Method:

1. Cook the pasta al dente, drain and rinse in cold water.
2. Pan-fry the eggplant and capsicum until the eggplant is soft. Season with salt if you want. Set aside in a bowl.
   
3. Pan-fry the chicken. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper if you want. Cut into small chunks.
   
4. In a small bowl, mix about 100 ml of Italian dressing with one and a half teaspoons of basil pesto.
5. Mix the pasta, dressing, and all the other ingredients together in a large bowl. Refrigerate and serve cold.
   

getting away from it all

Last Saturday Lorne and I had a weekend getaway in Shimoda. Seeing as it was going to be the last weekend we'd have before going back to our respective countries for the Christmas holidays, we thought it'd be nice to go on a trip and relax. I guess it doubled as a celebration for my finishing the Japanese Test, and his getting through working a shitload for the last couple of months.

So we headed out on the Saturday morning and got to Shimoda around 11:30 a.m. The weather was absolutely beautiful and at points it got so warm that I was fine in a t-shirt. We wandered around along the water and happened upon a perfect spot for us to have the picnic lunch that we'd made the night before: potato salad (of course), chicken subs and cold cut meat subs, and a cold pasta salad we had never made before. So good.

After stuffing ourselves we decided to waddle it off with a five km walk to the pension we were going to stay at. A lot of it was up hill so by the time we got to Shirahama Beach, which was five minutes away from the pension, we were so tired that we couldn't be bothered taking any pictures, thinking we could do it tomorrow. Lesson one learned: Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.

We woke up to find it pissing down with rain. No kodak moments for us at the beach, especially since we didn't have any umbrellas. So, we decided to go to a cafe that Lorne's friend had recommended, South Cafe. Didn't know where it was, but it was easy enough to get an address and map on the internet. Armed with this information, we headed back to the station (the owner of the pension was kind enough to give us a lift) and wandered around till 11 a.m.ish, when we decided that it was time to head to the cafe for what promised to be a amazing serving of onion rings and burgers.

Jump into a taxi. Taxi driver knows where to go (ooh lucky us! we think). 10 minutes in and we see the cafe on our left. Stop. Pay the driver. Get out of the taxi. Belly rumbling. Excitement building. Rain still coming down. Wait. Why is everything dark? Lesson two learned: Always call a restaurant beforehand to find out what time they open if you don't know. Or check on the internet at the same time you find the map and address.

Yes, it seems not much is open in Shimoda any earlier than midday on Sundays, except Moss Burger and McDonald's. We opted for the former.

All in all it was another fun trip even though there were incidents that will now be filed under "Blonde Moments". But, aren't those some of the best memories? The ones that you can laugh about even five years on.

ps. More photos will be added this week.

support

So the reason I haven't written an entry in a month is that I have been pretty busy trying to cram every little thing I can before the Japanese Language Proficiency Test coming up this Sunday. And almost going crazy. I've now given up on trying to squeeze new things into my head and just concentrating on reviewing the grammar points and kanji and have practically given up on learning anymore vocab and idioms. The way I figure it is, in all three of the past exams that I've done I've gotten 80 percent or more right and the part that I'm screwing up is the vocab one, which, luckily for me, isn't worth that much. And most of the other mistakes I make are stupid ones (note to self: read the question carefully).

If (when?) I pass this test, I have someone to thank for it. No, it's not God. And it's not my mama. Nor is it all my fans out there. I'm saving that speech for when I win the Nobel prize in the bullshitting category.

Seriously, the person I would thank is my boyfriend, Lorne. Without his support and his pushing me to study, I probably would've procrastinated even more.

Example:

The conversation we had Sunday after waking up at noon. We had planned on waking up at 10 ish to get a nice productive day in - gym for both of us, laundry and Christmas shopping for him, and studying for me.

Lorne: What time is it?
Me: 12:15.
L: ...Shit.
Me: [hatching up a fun plan for the day] I know! How about this? Since it's already so late, let's just skip the gym and I'll come shopping with you. [grin]
L: [horrified look on his face] Absolutely not, babe!
Me: [thinking: hey, I know I'm a pain to go shopping with, but ouch!] You just rained on my parade...
L: Sorry hon, but you've gotta study today! We'll go for lunch together, but then you are going to study for your test.
Me: [thinking: dammit, I know he's right...but shopping and curry in Ueno would be so much more fun...] *Sigh* OK, babe...I know, you're right...


So, we went out for lunch together at a new curry place by his place (by the way, not bad, but not as good as the one we usually go to) and I went home to study.

And it's not just him supporting me. I think I do the same for him too. At least I try to. At the moment, he's working four nights at a part-time job on top of his full-time job and band practice. So, I'm doing my own thing on weeknights and I make sure that I mail him at least once a day, usually with girly emoticons like love hearts and music notes. It's not much, but I hope it makes his otherwise hectic day and night feel a little better.

Sometimes, however, selfishness rears its ugly head. (It's just as unsightly as jealousy, only a different colour). And it's these times that I have to learn to take a step back and reassess the situation. Support. That's what I have to do.


ps. A pinch and a punch for the first day of the month. No returns.

being a zombie

We had a minor argument.

Growing up in Australia meant not having many opportunities to celebrate Halloween. I think I went to one Halloween party when I was in primary school, and it kinda sucked because no one was prepared for trick-or-treaters. So, going to Scott and Sakura's annual Halloween bash is pretty special for me. Makes me feel like I get to do something I missed out on as a kid. But with alcohol. A lot of it:

Although, I shouldn't like Halloween seeing as I absolutely hate horror movies and the like. Yet another opportunity Scott and Sakura's party provides: a night where I will actually watch a horror movie without closing my eyes every two minutes. Thanks to the fact that the movies are always running on mute, which takes the scariness level down a notch.

           

Now, what are Halloween parties without costumes? This year Lorne and I decided to go for a matching couple's costume. Cute. Cheesy. Bloody. But what the heck. Lorne wants zombies? He gets zombies. And to be honest, I had a lot of fun doing his make-up and him doing mine, and then walking to the party with a few people staring (or avoiding staring) at us.

So, a shout out to the coolest Halloween bash organisers Scott and Sakura (and Princess)! お疲れ様でした！Thanks again and can't wait till next year's one :)