tessa's blog

On 11 March 2011 at 14:46...

2011-03-12T01:52:00.006+09:00

... this happened. And it was felt around the country as evidenced by the map of seismic activity...

Personally, it was the longest-lasting earthquake I've ever experienced. It devastated the northeastern part of Japan and triggered a series of gigantic tsunamis that swept away everything in their destructive paths. The effects of this one will be felt emotionally, psychologically and financially for a very long time to come.

It's been snowing...

2011-02-10T02:03:00.003+09:00

... in Nagaoka. Snowing a lot. Naturally, I hate it (ignore the happy face in the pic... I'm just fabulous at hiding my despair).

They just called to me...

2011-01-26T22:11:00.003+09:00

Something about these just screamed my name!! I just felt compelled to buy them for some reason.

The Family

2010-09-20T03:03:00.000+09:00

Liewe heksie en die geel motor.mov

2010-09-05T14:59:00.000+09:00

The End

2010-07-19T14:03:00.003+09:00

It was AWESOME while it lasted. Well done South Africa! Well done Spain! Well done Paul the Octopus!

More M&E

2010-07-04T18:33:00.002+09:00

Well played, Ghana!!

2010-07-03T06:25:00.001+09:00

Man, this result isn't a fair reflection of the actual game. Ghana outclassed Uruguay tonight and I loathe the death-by-penalty shootout result.

Thank you, Ghana! Africa loves you.

Ghana vs Uruguay 1/4 fnl (in progress)

2010-07-03T05:50:00.002+09:00

2nd half of extra time and THIS GAME IS KILLING ME!!!! Come on GHANA!!!

England vs Germany (in Progress)

2010-06-27T23:33:00.003+09:00

33 mins in... 2-0 Germany.

Uhm... ouch England! Here's hoping they can actually put up a bit of a fight here. Cos this is so sucking for them at the mo'. Go on, England.

PS. Maybe I should start rooting for the teams I DON'T want to win, because I seem to be jinxing those I actually side with.

M&E's World Cupness

2010-06-25T00:26:00.001+09:00

Italy vs Slovakia (in progress)

2010-06-24T23:29:00.007+09:00

...and it's 1-0 Slovakia.

Oh dear... I wonder if this year I'll be subjected to another drunken phone call from Chevon, only this time the tears will be of pain instead of joy cos her beloved Italy crashed out without making it into the final 16. That would suck, them being defending champs and all. And I'd have to deal with drunken, depressed Chevon and distraught, devastated Nathan.

Oh well, here's hoping they win! Because not only would it be a crying shame for the defending champs to put up such a paltry show but it would also be a crime for the WC to lose such a damned fine looking man like Fabio Cannavaro this early in the tournament. That tragedy alone would be enough to send me into a tailspin of despair.

So come on Italy. Get your bloody act together man!

The Unthinkable

2010-06-24T21:15:00.006+09:00

Today... the worst thing imaginable happened... some of my 11 year old male students started to making vuvuzela noises in the classroom. They thought that they were being hilarious of course, they kept saying, "Natasha-sensei, Natasha-sensei... bvubvuzera!!! BZZZZZ!!!".

And then to make matters even worse, they were pretty damned good at producing an accurate imitation of the monotonous buzzing. And they did it with these hilarious deadpan expressions on their faces, all serious while, "Bzzzzzzing" at me. After that went on for a while, they'd crack up laughing before starting up again.

Siiiiiiiiiiigh.

Well done, Bafana Bafana

2010-06-23T16:52:00.005+09:00

We all knew that it probably wouldn't amount to much unless Bafana Bafana scored a shitload of goals against the French, but we all desperately wanted that win and damn it felt good. The Boys gave the tattered and beleaguered French team a run for their money and had so many near misses in the second half that qualification into the next round was closer than any of us had ever realistically dreamed.

The boys played like warriors and I'm very proud to be a South African today (and equally happy not to be French - ouch! I mean what an awful and embarrassing WC they've had. The disgrace, the draaaaamaaa). The best thing about having this WC cup in SA (the WORST being vuvuzelas. But yeah, we won't go there again :P), is that the country is SO football mad and we have been desperate to host this tournament for so long, that Bafana Bafana doing well would merely have been the cherry on top. This is one host nation that will NOT lose interest in the tournament because their team exited early. Nope, if I know my countrymen they will support their second, third, fourth favourites with equal fervour and devotion.

Cos that's the way we roll down in old Minami Afurika.

Poor North Korea

2010-06-21T23:24:00.000+09:00

7 - 0 ????

Hazukashii.............

Shame ne

2010-06-21T17:02:00.003+09:00

Today's weather in SA:

Fabio Cannavaro

2010-06-21T00:28:00.002+09:00

............. drooooooooooooooool!

Just sayin' y'know.................

...and another thing

2010-06-21T00:24:00.000+09:00

PS...

2010-06-18T22:21:00.002+09:00

Because it bears mentioning and it would be an injustice if I just let it slide... but there are some very, very HOT men on that Serbian team.

Phew!

Germany vs Serbia (in progress)

2010-06-18T21:59:00.003+09:00

Whenever I see a card-heavy game like Germany vs Serbia tonight I always have to curb my gut instinct to yell mean things at the ref through my TV screen. Things like, "What?! Are you fucking INSANE Mr Ref? He was playing the ball!!! OH COME ON, you blind fool! Who the hell paid you to make THAT call?"

I blame this instinct on having grown up watching this sport with boys. Inevitably, depending on whose side they were on (and they were ALWAYS on opposite sides), every yellow or red card EVER was met with a similar response and this naturally led me to conclude (cos remember, these were my formative years), that the referee is just always wrong. Poor guy.

My brother and his buddies were always so passionate about this game. They'd be all competitive during the game, talking smack and what-not and then afterwards, backslaps and handshakes (like THEY were the ones playing the actual game FGS) and "Nah, bru, kwaai game!"

PS. I'm guessing that it's a bit agonising being a German at this time. Nice save by the 'keeper earlier! No Jabulani ball angst for him.

The increasing bane of my existence!

2010-06-18T17:01:00.002+09:00

Every time I think, see or hear of a vuvuzela I can't contain the impulse to roll my eyes. Damn those things, they're a clever marketing campaign by some oke getting stinking rich off of playing on the gullible patriotic nature of South Africans. Give us a gimmic and tell us that we're not South African enough if we don't love it and we'll fall for it hook, line and sinker!

GAH! Look back on any SAfrican domestic footie match and while the vuvuzela is a presence, it's not a dominating, all-consuming force of fecking nature. No we actually have singing, dancing and even some OTHER instruments at our football games. Whoever thought of this horrendous marketing scheme has ruined our WC and destroyed the real spirit of the game in South Africa. Bastard. Cos now not only do we have South Africans being stupidly Proudly South African with these things, every foreigner in the country feels the need to buy one and they have no idea how to play the things. Short, controlled bursts (direct quote from Aliens by the way) interspersed with singing and chanting, you stupid ASSHOLES!

Siiiighh. This is not how I imagined my WC updates would go. I was way excited. I didn't think I'd get wrapped up in this one small thing... but seriously, it's pretty overwhelming and people back home don't realise how negatively it is perceived by people in other countries. I get sick of the arrogance of people constantly saying, "It's OUR World Cup." Uhm, excuse me, no it ISN'T. It's not called the South African Cup people, it's called the World Cup. And if the WC performances of Bafana Bafana so far have been anything to go by, it'll never, in any way, shape or form be OUR World Cup. So get over yourselves... use the vuvuzela with discretion. And show people how we REALLY enjoy our football... with rhythm, style and lots of singing and dancing.

Vuvuzelas. Stop the Madness!!!!

2010-06-14T19:39:00.000+09:00

I think that the WC organisers touted the fucking vuvuzelas too much and now we suddenly have this vuvuzela pride that hadn't ever existed before. Yes they were present at matches in the past but not to the extent that it drowned out singing and cheers. There's really NO traditional African or South African feel to it, it's just an annoying sound and if it carries on, Africa's first WC will be remembered for nothing other than a lot of noise with footballers and supporters alike complaining about the crazy, tuneless buzzing. Is that really what we wanted from this World Cup? Personally, I was hoping people would see how fabulous our country was, how friendly the people, how amazing the atmosphere... but instead we're going to get a bunch of tourists and players leaving the country with a vuvuzela-induced headache, a little bit of deafness in each ear and plenty of disgruntled complaints about how: "If that's South African culture then they can bloody well keep it to themselves."

Seriously where are THESE people?! These are the REAL South African football supporters, this is the REAL spirit of the South African football. But we can't hear them because they're being drowned out by the bloody vuvuzelas.
.

3 hours till kick off

2010-06-11T20:05:00.005+09:00

And folks at Lou's office can no longer contain themselves, looking decidedly Australian (ptooey! I said "AUSTRALIA", it was unintentional, I assure you) in their Bafana Bafana gear, the people at The Douglas Jones Collection show their patriotic spirit and effervescence on this historic day for SA.

Good luck, Bafana Bafana. You're most definitely gonna need it. But y'know, over here in Japan, I've been proudly wearing my SA lapel pin all day, in my own show of subdued (subdued only because multi-coloured face paint and bright yellow clothing would probably be frowned upon) support for The Boys.

And in Johannesburg...

2010-06-09T17:23:00.007+09:00

Joburg seems to have gone a bit flag mad. My friend Rene thinks it's a bit overwhelming and too distracting to be fluttering away beside a busy highway. I tend to agree but it does have quite a visual impact.

These pics also courtesy of my girl on the scene, Lou-chan

Cape Town's World Cupness

2010-06-09T00:31:00.006+09:00

According to my buddy, Lorinda, Cape Town is always slow on the uptake. She seems to feel that the Mother City's most recent contributions to World Cup madness, this (in my opinion) cool football fountain and lights which are very reminiscent of the Christmas lights which go up every year, are a bit random and may be too little... too late?

Pics courtesy of Lorinda

Then again, Cape Town did go to the impressive lengths to construct this massive vuvuzela, on the old unfinished bridge in the middle of the city. May as well put the most pointless bridge in the history of the world to good use.

These pics courtesy of Nuria

It's lekker bru! A user's guide to S.African lexicon

2010-06-07T23:26:00.001+09:00

Source: Yahoo! News
Here's a newcomer's guide to some uniquely South African words and phrases for football fans heading to the month-long tournament.
- Howzit: A universal greeting, a short-form version of "How is it going?"
- Bru: Abbreviation of "brother" used to address friends and colleagues as in "Howzit bru?"
- Yebo: The Zulu word for Yes which is now used across the board.
- Sharp: A sign-off signalling an agreement as well as farewell, often said twice.
- Ag shame: An expression of sympathy or annoyance.
- Eish!: An exclamation expressing exasperation.
- Lekker: An Afrikaans word meaning superb or fantastic which is applied equally to a person, object or event.
- Braai: An originally Afrikaans word for barbecue, which often features a sizzling boerewors, a curled spiced sausage.
- Biltong: Dried meat -- usually beef but also from other animals as ostrich, antelope or buffalo -- which is eaten as a snack, often accompanied by a beer or glass of wine.
- Rooibos: Red bush tea, South Africa's unofficial national brew which is grown in the southwestern Cape region.
- Shebeens: Makeshift bars in the townships which sell often super strength homemade brews.
- Muti: A traditional tree or plant-based medicine. Its practitioners are known as nyangas.
- Sangoma: Traditional Zulu healers or sorcerers who often summon ancestral spirits to foretell the future.
- Townships: Black-only neighbourhoods under apartheid that were once mainly shantytowns but now include middle-class areas. The most famous is Soweto, short-form for SOuth WEst TOwnships, near Johannesburg.
- Jozi: The abbreviation for the largest city of Johannesburg which is also known as Joburg.
- Veld or Veldt: An Afrikaans words meaning shrubland, it now generally refers to the countryside as a whole.
- Robot: Traffic lights.

Flag envy...

2010-06-06T22:32:00.002+09:00

... we all experience it sometimes.

Pepsi FIFA 2010 - Refresh Everything ad (Football world cup) Best Ad EVER!

2010-06-02T23:54:00.000+09:00

FIFA World Cup 2010 Song by K'naan & David Bisbal (official video)

2010-06-02T23:42:00.000+09:00

2010-06-02T23:21:00.003+09:00

8 days to go before the Football WC opens in SA!

So the countdown begins here and now...

Natsukashi and y'know kinda kawaii

2010-05-08T16:40:00.006+09:00

So I'm doing some spring cleaning when I found some farewell cards from my students at Niitsu High School. These are all about 4 years old and they're so cute... but there are also some hilariously random things in them that I thought I'd share.

Girl: "Dear Natasha Thank you for everything!!" then some bits of paper pasted down and written in tiny print way at the bottom are these words: "In fact. I can't swim."
Boy: "Natasha. I'll miss you. Please say hello to John. You must come back. Good bye. Take care." So... WHO THE HECK IS JOHN????
Boy: "I'm poor at English. But I like English a few now. Thank you." So sweet.
Girl: "Dear Natasha. I love English!! Thank you very much. I've really enjoyed the evening very much indeed (?????? - N). It was very nice talking with Ms Natasha! I love you. Good luck." That whole letter was so sweet but that little bit in the middle was so very...
Boy: "Dear Natasha. Good bye. Please bring me a present when you come back. See you." Don't think he QUITE realised that I was leaving... forever. I keep thinking about him waiting and waiting for me to come back with his present. Oh the guilt.

I really, really loved my Niitsu students. Niitsu High and Bunsui High will always be my all-time favourite schools. Great students and fantastic teachers.

Aaaaaaaawwwwwww!

2010-04-25T02:27:00.005+09:00

So Tomo-kun is a cool boy, he puts up this front of toughness for all to see. He does up his name card all sparkly like and looks extra kewl cos of it... he's a 2nd grade 中学生 kid.

BUT... on the inside of this kewl, awesome name card (where his buddies can't see it) is the following super secret message written in the tiniest print ever... which just MELTED my heart. MELTED it I tell ya... into a puddle of chocolatey goo.

Bless his darling little heart for totally making my month!

Freshlyground - "Pot Belly" Music Video

2010-03-17T22:39:00.001+09:00

I loveloveLOVE this song!! And the video is super cute. Zolani has the most amazing voice. She sings so effortlessly.

SHOUT SA

2010-03-17T20:29:00.001+09:00

Let's make SA a better, safer country for all!

Nagaoka winter. Shudder

2010-02-06T00:21:00.003+09:00

Now as all y'all know, I'm not one for the cold and snow, which is why it's kind of ironic that I'm playing the snow queen (or yuki onna) in this year's musical. Worse than that, we're also experiencing Nagaoka's worst snow in 27 years. Oh joy. Some pics for your delight... cheers.

Kinders van die wind

2009-10-23T22:57:00.001+09:00

Takes me way, way, waaaaaaaaaaaaay back. Beautiful song.

Another classic Sound Effects!

2009-10-23T22:06:00.001+09:00

So funny...

Madam and Eve - SABC

2009-10-05T18:50:00.002+09:00

Good times in Ojiya

2009-10-03T17:33:00.008+09:00

Some pics (and a vid) from the Ojiya Summer Festival in August, Steve's birthday and Diet Challenge BBQ...

Escape from work camp

2009-08-14T21:43:00.001+09:00

I've been watching a lot of WLIIA clips on youtube... and I love Sound Effects and Scenes from a hat... but this frikken clip had me laughing so much I literally had tears streaming down my face. That good laugh when you feel like you're going to bust a gut or something... great stuff! I love Ryan and Colin. They were always my faves.

Eish Wena!

2009-08-12T16:05:00.002+09:00

Firsts

2009-08-08T15:23:00.001+09:00

First surgery : Tonsilectomy
First piercing : Ears
First best friend : Liesl Williams (for one year, then Annabelle for the rest of my years)
First sport you joined : Softball club
First pet : Dog of course (Sheba)
First vacation : Beaufort West with Auntie V. I (allegedly) cried the entire time "I want my MOMMMYYYY"
First concert : Some church christmas gig.
First crush : I can't remember (yes that's a lie)
Very FIRST memory? : Secretly running to the stoep to spit out the cough medicine my granny gave, moments before Mom brought Nathan (the interloper) home for the first time.
First person you had a fight with?: Carol something or the other (she wanted to meet me behind the girls' toilets and donner me. Yikes. I ran away)
First time you rode a bike?: My BMX Mongoose... Yissus that was a cool bike.
First car: ... a bus
First person you slow danced with: I honestly cannot remember his name. Tall dude, dark... wore glasses.
If your house was on fire, first thing you'd grab?: In SA - my dog. In Japan - my laptop (and passport)
First Movie You Saw: I think it was something with flying piranhas in it. Thereby starting my lifelong love of b-grade horror movies
First time you were afraid: I was petrified...
First song you remember listening to: Probably a Queen song. Maybe Bohemian Rhapsody. Queen was/is ALWAYS on at our house.
First thing you'd do with 5 million dollars: Buy Mom a new house. Then travel.
First thing you notice when you look in the mirror?: Any new weight gain
First impression of your bf/gf?: Have no current S/O

As of now...

2009-08-08T15:13:00.002+09:00

Your ex and You: Don't speak
I am listening to: Hide and Seek - Imogen Heap
Maybe I should: Put on some clothes
I love: Chocolate and dogs
My best friend(s): Annie, Lou, Chevs, Keith, Garth, Joyce, Johanna
I don't understand: People
I have lost my respect for: Tracey-Lee Lucas. That little bitch.
The meaning of my display name is: ... a shortened version of my name (according to my family).
I will always be: round
Love seems to: evade me
I never ever want to lose: weight... HAHAHAHAHAHAHA... just kidding!!!
I get annoyed when: things don't go my way
Do you like parties?: yes
Today I: am okay
I wish: for world peace?
Are you neat or sloppy?: A bit of both
What kind of clothes do you like?: Blue ones that fit
Are you mad at someone?: No
What do you do in your spare time: All kinds of stuff
Do you have any medical problems?: Not that I know of
What kind of car do you have/want?: A blue one
Do you like to read? What?: Yes. Books :P
Do you cook?: I hate cooking... a LOT!
Would you do drugs?: No
Have you ever written a song?: Yes
Do you like poetry?: No
Have you written poetry?: Yes (what emo Arts student hasn't?)
Have you dated someone older than you?: Yes
How much older?: Five years

This or that

2009-08-08T15:09:00.001+09:00

Chocolate or Vanilla: Chocolate (no contest)
Big Mac or Whopper: Whopper
Coke or Pepsi : Coke
Beer or Wine: Wine (red, thanks)
Coffee or Tea: Coffee
Apple Juice or O.J.: OJ
Facebook or MySpace: FB
Summer or Winter: SUMMER!!!!!!!!!
Windows or Mac: Windows
Cats or Dogs: DOGSDOGSDOGSDOGS (cats suck. And are creepy)
Boxers or Briefs: Boxers (yeah baby)
Rain or Shine : Shine
Chips or Popcorn: Chips
Salty or Sweet: Sweet
Plane or Boat: Boat
Morning or Night: Night
Movie or Play: Movie
Walk or Drive: Drive
Money or Love: Love... no money... no wait... love... no... I dunno!!!
Breakfast or Dinner: Dinner
Forgiveness or Revenge: Uhm... a bit of both. Passive aggressive forgiveness?
Paint or Wallpaper: Paint
House or Apartment: Apartment (for now)
Truth or Dare: Truth
Contacts or Glasses: Both
Root beer or Dr. Pepper: Both suck
Mud or Jell-O wrestling: Mud (Jell-o gets so sticky)
Skiing or Boarding: boarding... since I've never tried skiing. But can't say I <3>Silver or Gold: Silver
Diamond or pearl: Neither. Where are the sapphires?
Sunset or Sunrise: Sunset (since I'm never up in time for sunrise)
Phone or in person: no preference
Oldest, middle, youngest or only child: Oldest... what fun that was when we were children (Me: "Nathan you're not REALLY Mommy and Daddy's child!" Nathan: "Waaaaaah!!" Me: "Mwuhahahahahaha")
Indoor or Outdoor: Wherever I happen to be.

SAFRICA CHASING 435

2009-07-29T00:37:00.001+09:00

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah... natsukashi!! Good old Herschelle and Graeme.

Happy memories.

Wedding Entrance Dance

2009-07-27T10:42:00.001+09:00

This is the best thing ever! I don't know these people but their happiness and joy were just so contagious.

'District 9' Trailer 2 HD

2009-07-21T20:01:00.001+09:00

This looks awesome!

This is home...

2009-07-13T22:29:00.001+09:00

I can't believe I never posted this on my blog. I had it on FB but didn't put it up on the blog.

Nevermind, better late than never.

Blue Eyes - by Springbok Nude Girls

Neeeear. Faaaar. WhereEEVER you are!

2009-07-07T00:34:00.005+09:00

Three years ago, when I was moving into this flat, Mary Coombes helped me move in. She and a lot of my other close friends would be leaving that same year. This month, my very last month in this flat, Mary C came back for a visit and now every time I come home she tells me chucked stuff out (kinda like three years ago when I kept coming home to find boxes unpacked). Talk about coming full circle, huh? Dunno what I'm gonna do when she leaves on Wednesday :(
So we were reminiscing and then thought about this little video we made for Joyce who would also left that year. We decided to sing her fave karaoke song (and sucked at it), here's that vid (and NO I'm NOT naked! A bit drunk but not naked).

Alive in Joburg by Neill Blomkamp

2009-07-04T00:28:00.002+09:00

The mini prequel to Peter Jackson's new project, District 9. I think it's hilarious that it's set in SA... after all my years of complaining to my brother that the movie alien spaceships only ever land in the USA.

Skateboarding Dog

2009-06-18T14:38:00.001+09:00

LMAO! I love how he balances his weight and even leans to the side when he wants to turn! Clever, fearless little thing.

Look at all the fun he's having!

2009-06-18T13:57:00.001+09:00

Isn't he just GORGEOUS!?

My Afrikaans word of the Day

2009-06-13T21:55:00.004+09:00

So I was sitting here, minding my own business, when for some reason the Afrikaans word for matches went through my head (okay, I was actually, very idly, playing with a match book). I was just struck by what an awesome word it is...

"Vuurhoutjies" - literally translated means "little fire wood". Now tell me that's not the cutest word EVER!

Okay, yes, this is the kind of crap I'm doing when I should be cleaning out my flat. But procrastination brings out the best in me!

So my Afrikaans word of the day = vuurhoutjies.

Of course if you're from the Cape Fletse, you just call them "metchies" but that's cos we prefer the best of both worlds.

Madam and Eve

2009-06-13T17:33:00.002+09:00

Okay this made me laugh out loud...

DICK IN A BOX

2009-06-13T01:36:00.001+09:00

I can't help it!! These videos make me laugh...

I mean come on, you can't go wrong with classic (and classy) lyrics like "Chrismas... Dick in a box. Hanukkah... Dick in a box. Kwanzaa... Dick in box".

I'm On A Boat (ft. T-Pain) - Album Version

2009-06-13T01:25:00.001+09:00

I just love The Lonely Island... they're hilarious.

15 books in 15 minutes

2009-06-11T23:15:00.000+09:00

Don't take too long to think about it. Fifteen books you've read that will always stick with you. First fifteen you can recall in no more than 15 minutes. Tag 15 friends, including me because I'm interested in seeing what books my friends choose.

1.Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
2.The Belgariad/ The Malloreon - David Eddings *
3.Phantoms - Dean Koontz
4.Homecoming - Cynthia Voigt
5.Flowers from the Storm - Laura Kinsale
6.To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
7.Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
8.Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
9.Cujo - Stephen King
10.Rachel's Holiday - Marion Keyes
11.I am David - Ann Holm
12.Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
13.Runaway Jury - John Grisham
14.Charlotte's Web - EB White
15.A Knight in Shining Armour - Jude Deveraux

These are in not in order of preference... I just put them down as they came to me. Some of my all-time favourite books and I there are so many more.

* (The Belgariad and Malloreon series' consist of 20 books in total... but since the two series' follow the same characters - I put it down as one story).

Jizz In My Pants

2009-04-06T22:17:00.001+09:00

This is SO funny! "Don't tell your friends or I'll say you a slut. Plus it's your fault you were rubbing my butt..." mwuhahahaha.

How many have you read?

2009-02-11T13:46:00.002+09:00

Apparently the BBC reckons most people will have only read 6 of the 100 books here.
Instructions:
1) Look at the list and put an 'x' after those you have read.
2) Add a '+' to the ones you LOVE.
3) Star (*) those you plan on reading.
4) Tally your total at the bottom.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen x+
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien x
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte x+
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee x+
6 The Bible x (some of it)
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte x+
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell x
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens x
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott x+
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy x
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare x
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams x+
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck *
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll x+
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame x+
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens x
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis *
34 Emma - Jane Austen x+
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen x
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis x+
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini x+
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden *
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell x+
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown x
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery x+++
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy *
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding x+
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel * (sorry Nu, STILL haven't gotten round to it)
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen x
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez *
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck x+
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac (Troy I have this if you want to borrow it) *
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding x
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens x
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray *
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker *
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro *
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White x+
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Alborn
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton x+
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad x (hated it)
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams x
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare x+
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

Joel's t-shirt comes home!

2009-01-27T20:06:00.005+09:00

So, Johanna and I were trudging around the streets of New Orleans - what a hardship, sigh - trying to find the perfect t-shirt (the "naughtier" the better) for our good buddy, Joel. We looked all over town, left no stone unturned or shop unexplored... seriously, SUCH a trial - when, as if by magic, I looked up and saw The Perfect T-shirt. Well at least the perfect t-shirt for our darling Joel (ahem).

(Seriously Joel, bru, you need a tan!)

We bought it on the spot, after only very briefly wondering if he'd be offended by it, before shrugging that concern off as unimportant. Anyway, we felt that the t-shirt by itself just lacked something. So we made the little slideshow below, to prove to Joel that we DO sometimes think about him when he's not around.

Back to work we go!

2009-01-18T16:13:00.002+09:00

A belated Happy New Year folks (it still counts in January).

Why I love the Cleanest Little Town in Texas...

2009-01-13T18:13:00.015+09:00

Those of you who know my good friend Johanna will have heard of her home town Shiner, Texas. I don't know why but whenever she spoke of it, it simply came alive for me, her stories of small town life fired my imagination and I have wanted to visit it since I first heard her speak so fondly of it(well, sometimes, not-so-fondly). I suppose being from a relatively large city, I wanted to experience small town life for myself… the grass is always greener and all that. When Johanna returned to the States two years ago, I warned her that I would be coming for a visit and that she would have to take me to Shiner when I did (she now lives in New Orleans). This past winter (summer for those of you in SA), I finally got the opportunity to visit Hanna-chan. The plan was to spend Christmas week in Shiner and New Year's in New Orleans.

I arrived in New Orleans at 2:30 in the morning after a SIX hour delay at snowy Newark airport… those six hours were spent on a PLANE – waiting for the damned thing to be de-iced! Meh… the only thing that made the wait bearable was the lovely couple sitting next to me! We had a blast chatting and getting to know one another and I promised to meet them for drinks when I was back in New Orleans. Never got round to that, sadly. Anyway I was too wiped out to actually be excited about finally arriving. Johanna dragged me out of bed at some ungodly hour the following morning (it was before twelve) telling me it was for my own good and that it would help me with the jetlag. We spent much of that day roaming around the French Quarter (seriously, even now that Saturday remains a haze in my memory… I was pretty out of it), while I marveled at how cheap things were and how guys were very vocal about the fact that they liked my butt (kind of nice after years of feeling inadequate and whale-like in Japan). It was a lovely, leisurely first day… not too stressful. I discovered the Wal-Mart (to Kristen H's disgust I took to it like a duck to water) and had a blast at the Bath and Bodyworks where EVERYTHING was on sale… woooooot! I have soooooooo much nice smelling stuff now.

The following day we, Johanna, her antisocial cat, Draco (he's okay for a cat. A bit bipolar… with the occasional murderous tendencies, but a good cat to have in a car) and I, set off for Texas. I was pretty excited – it was an 8 hour drive on the highway and while the scenery wasn't all that interesting (it never is when you're on a highway), I still found it fascinating… I craned my neck to catch glimpses of the bayou as we whizzed by while getting acquainted with the current top 20 (cos we had local radio stations playing) – seriously… I HATE that stupid Beyonce song (Put a ring on it) and don't even get me STARTED on Akon's infantile "I wanna make love (nananana… eeeeeeeek!)". Finally… after hours and hours of driving (we stopped occasionally) we got off the I-10 and drove through a few teeny little towns until we hit Shiner (yay)…

It was quite dark when we arrived but we could see her parents' Christmas lights from quite far away. I didn't know what to expect but the warm welcome I received from Ron, Faith (Johanna's parents) and Nolan (J's brother who arrived a few days later), Chewy, Mysi, Baby (the dogs) and to a lesser extent Pumpkin, Gypsy and Tinker (the cats who were all stressed out because Draco was back to torment them) was entirely unanticipated. I was overwhelmed by the genuine warmth and hospitality I received from Johanna's parents. I see now where she gets it from. What lovely people the Darileks are…

So what can I say about Shiner? Well, let's see… for a small town it's got a LOT going for it. I think the Darileks were worried that I'd be bored… but if there's one thing they know about me now it's that I am easily entertained! Everything was new and exciting for me and no detail was too small or mundane for me (I mean I was excited when I woke up on my first morning there and saw COWS when I looked out my bedroom window!! I've seen cows before, of course, but these were like RIGHT THERE – waiting to be petted – I didn't get to pet them though – woe. They're not very friendly cows; they wouldn't even come when I tried to feed them). I loved every second of my time spent in Shiner and I must say that the town and its people have stolen a great, big chunk of my heart.

Shiner is famous for its beer. The Spoetzl Brewery (celebrates its centennial anniversary this year and I JUST missed out on taste testing the Shiner 100. Darn it!) is a must-see. We visited three days in a row and the only reason we didn't go more often was because they closed for Christmas and wouldn't reopen again until after Johanna and I had left for New Orleans, alas! The beer was really starting to grow on me… and if you know me at all, you'll know I'm not a beer drinker. But since they offer four free sample cups on every visit, there's no way I could avoid drinking it. And by the end of my stay I could even tell the difference between the Blonde, the Bock and the Hefeweizen. Just colour me a connoisseur now, people! I went on a Brewery tour and while I'm still a bit dodgy on the inner workings of a brewery, I at least got to see the pretty copper pots and the beer bottling area (cool)! I also bought loads of coasters (which are going down quite well in the omiyage area) and other stuff from the gift shop.

I did a LOT of shopping in Texas actually… Johanna, Faith and I went on quite a few shopping trips – during which time I managed to get some new clothes, underwear and BOOKS!! It was fabulous browsing around bookshops again… one of the things I miss the most in Japan.

If I had to list every single moment of my time in Shiner, I doubt this post would ever end, so I'll break it down for y'all.

Things-to-do-when-you're-in-Shiner (in no particular order):

1. Visit the Brewery

2. Visit Welhausen Park

3. Pet a horse

4. Visit the Brewery again…

5. Go on a 'Gator ride around the countryside

6. Break into the Old School for souvenirs

7. Break into a lovely old man's house and steal his chairs

8. Replace aforementioned chairs with spiffy new ones

9. Move aforementioned old chairs to another surprise location.

10. Touch a dead deer's head (and try not to shudder while doing it)

11. Try to find a trailer park and take pictures of it before anybody can catch sight of you

12. Fire a gun

13. Insert yourself into a nativity scene (if you're there at Christmas) to get that perfect picture

14. Visit the Brewery man, the beer's free.

15. Try to feed some cows…

16. Go to a barbecue (the steaks are huge and the people are fun)

17. Go and check out the Christmas lights if you're lucky enough to be there in December.

18. I hear Kloesels is nice but I didn't get to visit it.

19. I hear 10^th Inning is… uhm… interesting… I really wanted to visit it but Johanna said, "over my dead BODY" (or the equivalent thereof! Something about going braless…)

20. Check out Patek's Grocery Store (they have salt and vinegar chips!!!)

21. Get a photo of the one traffic light!

22. Check out the Municipal Park

23. Learn the Texas two step

24. Take a drive out to Scooters in the neighbouring town of Moulton and try their awesome frozen margaritas.

25. Touch a dead catfish head.

25. Go the Drive-In (another first for me).

26. Unintentionally moon some poor unsuspecting fella in the men's bathroom at the drive-in (I'd forgotten that until now! I think I blocked it from my memory. The lady's room was occupied and I snuck into the men's room. I am QUITE sure I locked the door… but as I was finishing up and pulling up m'knickers, the door opened and I screamed bloody murder, while the poor cowboy type dude at the door managed to keep from screaming bloody murder too and scrambled to safety with a few apologies. Man I ducked out of there so fast and then hid away in the car for the rest of the night! Faith tried to coax me out to take some pics but I was too embarrassed and afraid that I would see him again!! Not cool… cringing even now as I think about it! That poor guy…)

27. Get a cowboy hat from Beran's – so that you can blend in! Luckily I also got a Texas football t-shirt as one of my Christmas presents from Ron and Faith – which, combined with the hat, made me look like a local (for real, y'all!)

I did lots of other fantastic things! Christmas was great. The Darilek side of the family tried to teach me how to fire a gun in the morning (yeehaw! I sucked at it though) and we also tried to feed the cows. They (the Darileks, not the cows) were loads of fun and made me feel like part of the family. The Chumchal's (Johanna's mum's side of the family) afternoon Christmas visit was a little noisier for sure, because there are loads and loads of kids on that side of the family. They were very excited about all the gifts they had to unwrap. Every so often we (Jo, Faith and I) would surreptitiously sneak off for a breather in a quiet, child-free zone. Even the poor dogs were starting to look a bit wilted by the end of it all. Still it was great… the food was AWESOME… I now wish I'd eaten more (isn't that always the case?). I still long for that peppermint fudge that I got only a taste of. Sighhhhh. I must say, that's the drunkest I've ever been on Christmas. I thank Johanna's wildly alcoholic Hurricanes for that (plus the jello shots we had before twelve that morning!). It will go down as one of my more memorable Christmases and I thank the Darileks and Chumchals for making me feel so much a part of things… I was even asked if I'd make it an annual event. I promised to be back for Hanna-chan's wedding (no pressure, J :P)

The Darileks

The Chumchals

I also managed to make a quick call home to my own loved ones… and I was happy to hear my mother's voice on Christmas day. By that time, they (the Anders fam) had finished their own Christmas lunch and were all having a relaxing afternoon siesta. Apparently it was too hot too move… *envy*!

All in all… my week in Shiner, Texas was eventful, fun and NEVER dull. I would love to visit again… like I said before, it stole a huge piece of my heart but I think the main reason it made such an impact was because of the people I met. Johanna, Faith, Ron and Nolan, the other Darileks and the Chumchals (Fred and Virgie especially) thank you for making me feel so welcome… I will never forget you and I will cherish the memory of my visit to your wonderful hometown forever. Peace and love to you always.

Let's Reunion!!

2008-12-18T20:58:00.004+09:00

Hey y'all (practicing cos I just KNOW I'm gonna pick up the habit again after staying with Johanna for two and a half weeks :D)...

I'm outta here tomorrow. I may upload some pics and stuff while I'm away. In the meantime I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas/Hanukkah/or whatever other major holiday, being celebrated this December(from whatever religion) applies to you.

Anyway, so Johanna and Natasha, Part 87 and 3/4 to commence soon! YAY...

Geseende Kersfees en Gelukkige Nuwe Jaar!

00Z

2008-12-18T00:51:00.002+09:00

Looks like the Madam and Eve boys really don't like old Julius. Who can blame them? He is a contemptible little dumbass...

Gatvol

2008-12-18T00:38:00.003+09:00

To those of you who don't know "gatvol" means "fed up" (that's the polite translation).

Writing Assignments

2008-12-17T00:35:00.003+09:00

Howzit folks... been ages since I blogged but that's because my life has been pretty mediocre lately, so I had nothing much to say about the life and times of Natasha Anders the First. Besides, I hit my blogging peak with that cricket post two years ago... and just couldn't ever manage to top that again. Been on a blogging downhill slide ever since.

Anway I digress, today I thought I'd share some student writing with you. So some background info: I started a Speech Skills class with my 4th grade chuto kids a couple of months ago (1st grade High school for those who don't teach at chutos. Sixteen year olds for those who don't teach in Japan at all). Basically I suggested that whenever we have a team teaching class scheduled, we forego the textbook and teach the kids public speaking skills instead. Next year they have to do a public presentation after getting back from their homestay in Australia - and I wanted them to be prepared and confident for that. In addition to that, the kids have been asked to start a journal - for lack of a better word(not a diary) - to practice writing as they are required to write their own speeches every week for the speech skills class. Their first assignment was a rather dry self-intro... but I've been pushing for some creative writing assignments and last week the teachers overcame their sceptism and asked the kids to write a fictional story as their second assignment. Here are a few of the offerings I liked (mistakes included):

1
Once upon a time, there is a little girl who was born into a a poor family. She was very happy and the family got along well but she felt sad once every year at Christmas. Of course her family didn't have enough money to buy presents for Christmas. She thought that if they were rich, she could give presents. But she knew that her father and mother worked from morning till night. So she had patience every year. One day when Christmas was drawing near, she wrote a letter to Santa Claus. It said, 'Please give a present to my parents. They are working all day long. I don't have enough money to buy presents for them. SO I want you to give a present.' Santa Claus read the lettter during the night. He thought 'This child loves her parents. I'll give them a nice present.' Next day the little girl woke up and she was surprised. There were a big Christmas tree in the garden. She and her parents were very happy. It was a memorable event for them and they were all living together happily.

2
One day a she-chick went to her friend's home and played until evening. They said goodbye and she returned home. Suddenly it started to rain heavily, but she didn't have an umbrella. She took shelter from the rain under a tree. "I wish it would stop raining." Just then, a hen, her mother, came to her with an umbrella. "Mom! Thank you for coming for me!" Mother said "That's ok. Let's go home, and drink hot milk." (Random, huh? N)

3 (Christmas seems to be a regular theme. I like this one)
Once upon a time, there were a Santa Claus and reindeers, rabbits and monkeys. On the day before Christmas, the Santa had a cold. He said "If I were fine, I could go to the houses to gave presents." The animals were at a loss. The reindeer said, "Let's help him and carry the presents by ourselves." The animals agreed with him. The reindeers carried a sledge with animals and many presents. Monkeys looked at the map and led the reindeers. Rabbits went through the stovepipe and put presents. They completed the task. One Christmas day, there were may happy smiles of children, animals and a Santa Claus. Fin

(Santa's Helpers)

4 (From a student who was at this year's summer camp. Joel must have made quite the impression on her. Uhm...)
In the old days, there was a big castle. In it lived a princess. Her name is Natasha. Natasha loved a person, his name is Joel. Joel is a farmer. But Natasha had a fiance, his name was Genius. Genius is a prince. Natasha always thinks, "If Joel were a prince, I would marry him..."

5. This one reads like a HCA fairtytale (cho kawaii)
It was a fine day, there was a lonely little witch. While she was strolling in the forest she got hungry. At that very moment, there was a bakery between the trees. An old man was running the bakery. the little witch wanted to eat a delicious loaf, so she talked to him. "Would you give me a delicious loaf?" The old man replied, "I'm in trouble now. I've used all of my match. If I had match I could bake a delicious loaf for you." The little witch thought and said "I am a great witch! I'll light a fire in your oven." She tried. At first she didn't have confidence. But she finally made it. "Look! I could make it!" She said. "Oh, really. You're a real witch! Thank you very much. I will bake a delicious loaf. Wait a while." He said. They talked until the loaves were baked, about their own life, dream, hobbies a... and more. Without notice they had become friends. They ate delicious loaves together. They were happy.

6. Freddy the Leaf-esque (I thought it was so good that, at first, I wasn't completely convinced it was entirely his)
On a very cold day, there was heavy snow. The next day, there was snow over everything all around. A few children made a snowman. The snowman was bright with a carrot nose, a bucket hat, twig arms and glove hands. Children played with him but after a short time they lost interest in him and he became lonely. When winter was ending, he became to have feelings. He was afraid it was getting hotter day by day and spring was coming. He was afraid of death. He felt it. "I wish I could live one day longer. I want to see everytime of the world. I don't wanna melt" He said. But spring came. There was no snowman where he had stood. There was only a little pool. Though in early summer a flower was buded in that place. It is likely that it will see everything for the snowman. Fin

7. Pretty grim. But one of my faves
Today is Christmas. The town is in a festive mood. The children are romping around too. But only Edward is watching them playing in the street from his room. He murmured "If I had legs, I would play with them..." Beside his bed, there is a sheet of paper in a sock. Even Santa Claus can't grant Edward's wish...

(Poor, lonely Edward)

8. Very cute
Once upon a time, there were three cats. One day when they were walking in the garden, they found a lot of cream in a large pot. They wanted to eat it, so they tried to lap it but they fell into the pot and into the cream. The littlest cat couldn't swim and began to drown, so the biggest cat let the littlest cat step onto his back and help the littlest cat climb out of the pot. The middle cat tried to creep up the pot but he simply couldn't creep up. So the biggest cat let the medium cat out of the pot in the same way. Then the biggest cat was so tired and he couldn't creep up. He was drowning. "If he hadn't helped us, he would be saved!" the others shouted. They looked for something to do but they could do nothing. They thought he would die. Then they cried hard. The biggest cat was rowing in the cream to try and creep up the pot. Just then the cream became butter and hard. So the biggest cat could step onto the ground from the butter and he was saved.

9.
"Do you want to become a transparent man? If you were a transparent man, you could do anything and everything." A witch said to the man. The man think that it is very good chance and he said "yes". In an instant the man became a transparent man. The next day, the man stole some money and jewels from many people. The man feel satisfaction. But the man suddenly noticed a serious matter. The man said "If I were transparent forever, I can't use some money." The man didn't know how he return to the ordinary man. Nobody knows where he is now. If a witch ask "Do you want to become a transparent man" to you, what will you answer?

10. A bit Narnia-ish
Tom liked reading adventure stories, he wished he were the hero in the books when he read them. One day, he was reading on of them under a big tree, suddenly the book shined and he was dragged into the book. He woke up and looked around. He noticed that he was in the world of the book which he was reading because the scenery around him looked just like what he saw in the book. He was the hero in the world. He had many adventures. For example, fighting the dragon, crossing the ocean, entering the forest, climbing the snow-covered mountain. He made a close friend during the adventures. He had many adventures with the friend, but the friend parted from him. When he left Tom, the friend gave him a beautiful ring. Tom began to wear the ring every day. Many years have passed since then. He became sick. He was beyond help. After several days, he died watched by many friends. "Tom. Tom" he heard a voice calling him. He woke up. He was under a big tree. His mother was looking at him. He was a boy. He noticed that he had a very, very long dream. The he was surprised because the ring his close friend gave was still shining on his finger. Was that the dream or the reality.

My students are great! They put so much effort into excelling at every little assignment no matter how muzukashi or mendoksai they think it is. Of course, these are but a few. A large percentage of them were average - but good. These were just the ones I found entertaining. I enjoyed marking these. I was just about falling asleep marking the self-intros last week. It got so bad my supervisor suggested I listen to music while working, to help me stay awake. Not so this week... I was entertained from beginning to end. Okay... cheers okes!

Good Idea Bad Idea - Whistling

2008-11-15T17:00:00.001+09:00

Lmao! This takes me back! It's my favourite Good Idea, Bad Idea! For some reason it's the one that stuck in my head for years and years. I loved this show. Siiiiiiiiiiigh! Used to rush home everyday second day to watch it.

For Annabelle

2008-11-09T20:50:00.001+09:00

Look what I found... this takes me way, way, wayyyyyyyyyyyy back (okay not THAT far back)... I knew you'd be one of the few people who would appreciate it (well, maybe Vonnie would too... didn't know her back when this song was popular). Good stuff man!

Hey Annie

2008-11-09T20:47:00.001+09:00

Here's another one... good old-fashioned homegrown talent. Whatever happened to Sugardrive anyway?

Presenting Mr and Mrs Van Der Schyff

2008-10-13T13:25:00.005+09:00

One of my best friends got married a week and a half ago and as with every other recent landmark moment in my friends' lives, I missed it. I knew she'd look gorgeous... and the groom wasn't too shabby himself - even though we know the brides are gonna outshine all on their special day.

Thanks to Lynn for her/Shane's pics... and congratulations to Mr and Mrs Shaun and Lorinda Van der Schyff. I so wish I could have been there. You both looked stunning and so totally in love.

Hugs and kisses

Natasha

Just like yoghurt

2008-09-26T23:45:00.002+09:00

Madam and Eve always say it best... mwuhahahahahaha!

Mango Groove-Special Star

2008-09-19T00:16:00.001+09:00

OMG!! If you're South African this will make you seriously nostalgic... "There's a spe-shul stah that shines... every evening in your eyes!!" Hahahaha... who could forget those chickies in those tiny school uniforms and the gum boot dancers and MOST IMPORTANTLY, that maestro on the penny whistle. Takes me way, way, waaaaaaaaaay back!

I bless the rains down in AAAFRICA!!

2008-09-05T22:57:00.001+09:00

Andy Mckee - Africa - Toto - www.candyrat.com

Howzit? Been a while since I posted, ne?! Sorry okes, I've had no computer for ages... but I'm back now, so hope you folks back home wi'out Facebook are as totally excited about it as I am!

I love this dude's rendition of Africa by Toto. Fantastic.

And since it's one of my karaoke faves, I figured I'd post it on my blog for all to enjoy. Anyway, who can forget that nostalgic Castle Lager ad featuring this song... "All around the world, as South African's home is his Castle"? Makes me feel all teary-eyed just thinking of that ad... sniff.

Maar nou wel, hope youse are all lekker!

Zimlander

2008-04-18T18:56:00.003+09:00

Robert Mugabe... what an arsehole!
(yes... I will simply not acknowledge the fact I haven't been posting for 5 months and carry on regardless).

Merry Christmas

2007-12-18T17:14:00.000+09:00

It's been a while since I've blogged about anything... but my computer's been crap, so I couldn't really help it!

Anyway, I'm off to South Africa (YAY HOME) on Friday and hope to sort out my laptop woes once I'm there.

In the meantime, I hope you all have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS, no matter where in the world you are, and a fantastic New Year!

Stay safe whatever you'll be doing!

Peace and love to all...

N

Happy Birthday to my babyyyyyyyyy

2007-11-09T11:08:00.000+09:00

It was Fidel's birthday yesterday! How cute. He's 8 years old and still a gorgeous little thing. He hasn't slowed down much since his bird-hunting puppyhood and still tends to run my mother ragged! Can't WAIT to see him in December... am sure you all know that I miss him heaps (it's a bone of contention between m'mummy and me, cos she feels I should miss her more than the dog).

Amabokoboko you RULE!!!

2007-10-21T14:13:00.001+09:00

Then (1995)

South Africa - Rugby World Champions 2007. The Bokke played fantastically throughout the tournament and deserved this win - even if it wasn't the most exciting game in the history of the world (personally I think we would have had a more exciting match if it had been a rematch of the '95 WC Final. Even an Aussie/SA match up had more potential! And those Fijians certainly gave us a run for our money in the quarters! Worthy opponents all)

Thanks Vonnie for the call and the cheers from your fellow party goers! So wish I could have been there... it was no fun watching over here. A pretty lonely feeling, actually! So it was great to hear from you guys! Hope you had a LEKKER jol, ne! Am sure the partying went on 'til well into the early hours of the morning!

I'll say it again, cos it bears saying twice: South Africa are the Rugby Champions of the World! For the second time in 12 years! I can't stop smiling! Dankie manne... ons is so trots op julle!

...and now (2007)

Stimela si qhamuka eSouth Africa

2007-10-17T10:22:00.000+09:00

Some Queen for the English Pansies (I mean... ROSES)
Here we stand or here we fall
History won't care at all
Make the bed light the light
Lady Mercy won't be home tonight yeah

You don't waste no time at all
Don't hear the bell but you answer the call
It comes to you as to us all
We're just waiting
For the hammer to fall

What the hell we fighting for?
Just surrender and it won't hurt at all
You just got time to say your prayers
While you’re waiting for the hammer to hammer to fall

Welcome to the Rugby World Cup Final 2007: South Africa vs England! 4 More days before the game and I’m a nervous wreck! Hate to think of how the players must be feeling. So who will win?! Well, if the sports gods are fair and just, it should be South Africa for sure… but the English team seems to have been casting these weird ass voodoo spells over all their opponents and has managed to scrape through every game (by the grace of the rugby gods and JW’s fecking annoying boot). So I suppose anything can happen! I take nothing for granted after watching teams like Australia and NEW ZEALAND inexplicably crash out of contention – it has been a decidedly strange WC! South Africa in the final is the only thing that is as it should be… but the other supposed given, South Africa WINNING the World Cup – well, that remains to be seen! The sports gods are fickle and may reward the crappier team (I mean ENGLAND, of course) on the day!

Anyway it looks like Madiba can’t make it to the match on Saturday (the guy is 89, really, WHAT were they expecting?) – but am sure his Magic is just as effective from a distance. So, with a little bit of Madiba Magic, a healthy dose of Shosholoza Fighting Spirit and the prayers of 47 million South Africans behind them, I know that the Amabokoboko will play their hearts out and give those Pansies a run for their money. Maak hulle SUFFER, manne!

Random Acts of Kindness...

2007-10-03T13:53:00.000+09:00

There are a lot of reasons why I still enjoy living in Japan (and whole bunch of other reasons why I don't – but you're always hearing about those, so I thought I'd talk about something positive for a change) and a few incidents recently have reminded me of exactly why I still like it here more than I hate it.

Last month I went to one of my visit schools for the first time, I wasn't teaching or anything, I just wanted to check out the route and do a quick “yoroshiku”. This particular school is the one everybody told me would be the most difficult to get to, two trains and a (rarely seen) bus from the train station. I, however, discovered that there is a bus that goes directly from my station to the school and vice versa (which is great, cos the school is miles away from the station) and I was testing out the bus service on the day in question. No fuss, no mess... I got to the school without a problem and stayed for a couple of hours before heading home (it was my half day). Now I had some vague notion of the return time being between 11 and 11:15 (I didn’t think to check the schedule at the bus stop when I got off that morning) – so I thought I'd be okay if I left at exactly 11. Unfortunately it was raining (pouring actually – am sure you can all imagine my frame of mind at that time!) and the bus stop is about 3 minutes away on a clear day but it's slow going in a torrential downpour when you're wearing sandals and struggling with an umbrella. It was as I was still walking down the side street toward the main road (where the bus stop is) that I saw the damned bus pass by... I started running (it would have been funny if it wasn't so pathetic – my feet were soaked, my sandals were slip-sliding all over my feet and the umbrella was about as effective as a plaster (Band Aid for you brand-obsessed Americans out there) on a gaping wound!

I was about ten metres away from the bus stop when the bus simply moved along its merry way. I remember holding up a hand and shouting “Stooooooop!” but naturally the driver didn't hear me or see me! So I limped up to the bus stop time table to check when the next bus would be and I was horrified to discover that it would arrive more than an hour later! I felt like crying. I remember stomping my foot (in a puddle of water that frikken splashed up and under my skirt – NOT pleasant) and practically screaming: “FUCKFUCKFUUUUUUUCK!!”… it was at that time when I realized that there was a car standing behind me (it had stopped while I was desperately trying hail the bus) and the driver had obviously seen my rant (I sincerely hope he hadn’t understood my language)... he gestured for me to come closer... and I approached his car a bit warily, wondering what the hell this was all about now!

He simply asked if I was okay and I was all gestures and English/Japanese wails of despair as I explained about the bus simply leaving me behind. He was quite sympathetic and immediately offered me a lift to chase down the bus (only about a minute had passed since the bus had disappeared). I wasn't too sure about this – I mean back home I wouldn't even have entertained the notion of accepting a lift from some man – no matter how well-intentioned he seemed (I mean, all those serial killers must have seemed quite well-intentioned to their victims, I'm sure). My options were either to stand at that bus stop seething with resentment at my terrible luck or heading back to school to seethe with resentment at my terrible luck in a dry environment (neither option was particularly appealing) – or I could take my chances with this tiny potential serial killer – who was obviously in his company car (there was a logo on the side) and wearing his company t-shirt (logo on the breast pocket) and who looked like a strong wind could knock him over! I figured I could probably beat the crap out of him if he tried anything and hopped into his car.

This lovely little fella went completely OUT of his way to chase down that bus... the stupid bus was frustratingly elusive… it was always just around the next bend and once we JUST missed it when it stopped at a bus stop! I was afraid the guy would wind up taking me all the way to Higashi Sanjo, when eventually we caught up with the bus (about five minutes later) – and after a whole lot of heartfelt thanks (countered with a bunch of doitachimashite’s) I leapt out of the car and onto the bus. When I looked out to wave at my savior, he was turning his car and heading back in the other direction. It was so sweet and unexpected! But rest assured it's not something I would do everyday!

Anyway, in a completely unrelated story... let me tell you about another little incident that simply made me shake my head in amazement. A week ago I was in a huge rush to catch a train to work... I parked my wheels in the allotted parking area outside the station and dashed inside to catch my train (made it with seconds to spare – phew!) – it was just as I was sitting down in the train that I realized I didn't have my keys with me. This meant one of two things – I'd left the key in the bicycle – or I’d dropped it somewhere in station (I was togging my self-intro stuff, a bag, an umbrella – I don't even think I brushed my hair... it was one of THOSE mornings, okay?!). I was a bit panicky at the thought of not having my keys, because a) my bike is new and therefore a temptation for any bicycle thief worth his/her salt, b)my aparto keys are on the same key ring and c)I (stupidly) have a tag on my key with my address on it!

I thought I could get to school and call the station asking them to keep an eye out for the keys but was I immediately swamped when I got to work, so I had to shove that concern to the back of my mind. I never got the opportunity to call, so I was feeling a bit nervous about the bike situation – and worse, the flat situation – when I got back to Higashi Sanjo station that night. I KNOW what would have happened back home – my bike would be missing and my home would be ransacked (now be honest enough to admit that that would probably have happened in YOUR country too) and I had a nasty moment when I realized that the bike had been moved from the spot I'd left it in that morning. After a brief, panicked look around, I discovered that it had merely been relocated by the magical bicycle fairies who occasionally move people's bikes from one spot to another for seemingly no reason on earth other than to have us wandering aimlessly up and down the bicycle lot looking for our wheels! The same mischievous magical bicycle fairies had very kindly removed my keys from the lock, placed it in the basket and taped it down so that a random gust of wind wouldn't blow it away, I guess! This would not deter an experienced thief back home – they have tools to combat sticky tape – but over here it served its purpose and I was totally chuffed (and actually little bit offended) to realize that nobody was interested in stealing my bike or ransacking my flat. Phew!!!

And then finally... last night... the best thing in the world happened!! I'd ordered a book from Amazon.co.jp and I had been waiting for it for aaaaaaaaaages! So last night I got home to discover the Pelican Delivery Service slip of non-delivery! So I called them and asked them if I could have it delivered that night (it was after six) – the lady on the other end was all apologetic and I got the gist of what she was saying, sorry their driver was running late, he probably would not be able to make it back to my part of the world in time to deliver the package, etc etc! I must have sounded as devastated as I felt (I had fond visions of starting the book as soon as I got it! It's been a while since I've read something new... and I was in the mood to be intellectually stimulated <- you'll get this particular joke if you know me well!) so she said she would ask the driver and then call me back! The call back was a long time coming and when it finally came it wasn't the girl in the call centre but the driver himself! Same story, he couldn't make it that night, could he deliver it tomorrow? I think I must've sounded pretty sad about it, because he was using his best consoling voice. In the end I thanked him, we reconfirmed that he would deliver the following day (tonight) at 7 pm and that was that! So there I was, sitting in front of The Dinosaur – disappointed that my huge and exciting plans for the evening had fallen through – trying to open an email from Lorinda (it was taking forever! The Dinosaur does nothing in a hurry) when my doorbell rang, followed by an authoritative knock! Who was it but my dear friend, the Pelican Delivery Guy?! I think I had a HUGE smile on my face and I couldn't thank him enough! What a nice dude, he's one of my new favourite people! He looked quite chuffed with himself too, because I think he realized that he had just made my week!

So there you have it! I know this is long but it's been a slow day and I had time to kill...

Oh and by the way, it's a rather lovely day today!

Chotto chilly!!

2007-10-02T13:56:00.000+09:00

Okay so every year I write one of these despairing notes about the weather changing and all that! I’ve decided to be no different this year… why be original when you can stick to what you know?!

It’s COLD people!!! COLDCOLDCOLD! And I’m not liking it ONE bit!! So last Thursday it was warm – hot even… Friday brought rain (I won’t touch on how much I hate rain because I think you all know this already) and after that it was just plain cold!! I went from having my a/c on to sleeping with two blankets on my bed! Yesterday I wore long sleeves to school (for the first time in four months) but it was just one layer, so I got quite cold in the staffroom. I had to go out and sit in a patch of sunlight for an hour or so (positively reptilian, I know – I mean that’s the kind of thing cold-blooded animals do isn’t it?) before I felt warmed up enough to move again. I don’t understand how people can still wear short sleeves – it’s unnatural. I keep hoping it will warm up again. In fact, I was kind of hoping for another “unnatural” winter like last year but it looks like that’s not gonna happen… we’re probably gonna get record amounts of snow again (bleh). Sooooooooooo glad I’m going home for three weeks during winter – give me a lovely Cape Town summer anytime, surf, sand, sun, sexy bods (niiiiiiiiiice)!

Anyway, just thought I’d share this with y’all! It’s been a while since I blogged and I thought it would be nice for you all to experience my bitching and moaning again! Just in case you forgot what it was like.

In other news… Hmmm… I don’t think there IS any other news. How sad. The best thing I’ve done in the past month or so was make up my mind to go home for Christmas! I booked my ticket, paid my deposit and am now having fond daydreams of all the stuff I’ll do when I get home. It’s been two years – so I’m totally excited. The last time I went home I was SHOCKED to discover that they’d painted the local mall, built a petrol station behind our house and changed the money!! I was disgusted with both friends and family for not informing me of these shattering changes! I hope they see fit to warn me of anything like that before I get home this time. Changes I know about; Chevon has a bf, Lorinda has a bf, Nathan has a gf, Cousin Melanie is getting married (finally), one of my other cousins is getting divorced, grandparents are moving, mother has a bf (SHOCKER!), Garth has twins, Roberto and JP have moved, Dina Rodrigues was found guilty of murder (and justice is SERVED! Thank you very much), Thabo Mbeki has been on a power trip and firing all and sundry, Tokyo Sexwale may run for president, Helen Zille was arrested for something stupid (what the HELL?! Talk about screwed up –arresting the mayor of Cape Town for participating in an anti-drug march – but making no progress in actually arresting the drug lords out there! Then again am sure the drug lords and the cops have a lovely little symbiotic relationship going), Jackie Selebi is nuts – gosh I LOVE my country! It’s all fun and games over there! Never a dull moment in ole Minami Afurika! Anyway… so I do know about SOME changes but I swear, if I get home and discover that the neighbour has painted his house blue, or M-Net has changed their logo and no-one bothered to tell me, I’m gonna lose it!

So excited… will be nice to go on a road trip with the girls, play with my baby, spend time with my brother, argue (and go shopping) with my mother! Buy presents for the kids!! I can’t wait…

WC Rugby Fever

2007-09-17T19:11:00.000+09:00

Everyone's got it...

England! The Rugby World Cup Chumps!

2007-09-15T05:47:00.000+09:00

Got up at 4am to watch the SA vs England rugby world cup match! I was expecting a Battle Royale... instead the Boks wiped them out 36-0!! And to be honest, it should have been a higher score for SA! Glad I'm South African and NOT English today!

Hier kommie Bokke!!

The Crossing - Osiyeza (for Dudu)

2007-09-10T14:48:00.001+09:00

One of my all time favourite SA songs.

Home

2007-09-10T02:32:00.001+09:00

Found this lovely little montage on youtube. The photographer is pretty talented! Oh and Rondebosch is her/his home. I'm a Cape Flats girl m'self! The University of Cape Town is my Alma Mater though.
Anyway I got so homesick watching this... I miss the Cape!

Am gonna try to book my flight home for Christmas today!

SPCA Commercial

2007-08-23T14:00:00.001+09:00

Great message. I miss my doggy... but I know he's getting heaps of attention back home!

Shudder

2007-08-09T21:53:00.000+09:00

They're everywhere in summer... and I have SERIOUS fear of them (ask anyone!) - but when I see one this big and situated low enough for me to get a decent photo, I couldn't let the opportunity slip by! It was about the size of a mouse and I risked life and limb to get this pic - but here it is... *cringe*

Sob...

2007-08-05T13:20:00.000+09:00

The girls are all gone and I miss them already!! Thanks for a fabulous year, ladies. I'll never forget you!

Till we meet again...

Sweet...

2007-07-17T12:45:00.000+09:00

It's my last day at this school (and if you know how I feel about Tuesdays, then you can probably all guess how I feel about not having to come back here)... and one of my English Club girls (I DO love my EC here) just gave me a letter, because she can't come to EC this afternoon!

Here's an excerpt from the letter:

"Your smile is like sunflowers. Your words are like bright water. Because you are a very nice person!"

Now I feel all weepy.

Stupid rain is pissing me off!

2007-07-17T11:45:00.000+09:00

*See title ^...

Jishin

2007-07-16T11:32:00.000+09:00

Yes. Another one... bloody earthquake jerked me out of a nice, sound sleep this morning (it was 10:13, maybe too late to be lounging around in bed! But it's a public holiday, I'll lounge if I want to). Scared the bejesus out of me, cos it felt bigger than the last one! It wasn't bigger, I was just closer to the epicentre this time! So things went flying from my walls, lamps fell over, my wind chimes finally got to jingle a bit, while I stood braced in my bathroom doorway, clutching my duvet to my chest and trying not to scream!

The epicentre was in Kashiwazaki... trust God, or Mother Nature - whichever one is in charge of earthquakes - to place the epicentre right under the biggest frikken Nuclear Power Plant in Japan! Betcha They're both laughing their asses off at us right now! Naturally to add to the drama a small fire broke out at the plant! Sheesh... at least I was at home this time and not stranded in the city with no way of getting home!

In a fit of nostalgia I read up on some of my 2004 earthquake reportbacks! Hilarious... I don't feel half as shaky as I did back then! Even though this one felt so much bigger (that one was 6.8, this one 6.6), I'm just kinda "Meh" about it! Last time I sent a massive email home about being stuck in Niigata, there were no trains, we didn't know how to get home, 3 of the other gals were stranded at Nuria's place for two weeks! Of course that one felt more catastrophic because of the drama surrounding cancelled trains and derailed shinks! Not quite that much excitement in being at home when it happens! Although I'm much happier to be home... that last time was way too stressful!

Footnote: they had a couple of 50 cm tsunamis in Kashi! How the hell do you know a 50 cm wave is a tsunami anyway!? It's just a frikken ripple, isn't it?! Weird that!

Anyway, cheers! If you're in Niigata... stay safe... remember to turn off your gas and watch for falling debris when you leave your home!

Canyoning...

2007-07-03T23:02:00.000+09:00

Okay, so I'm not blogging in chronological order! I'm just going with the flow and adding whatever suits my mood! Today, I feel like touching on the canyoning adventure we all (that's Johanna, Kristen, Kristen's "boys" Jimmy and Jeffrey, Pamela, Rosalind, Paul, Martin, Keiko, Kirsten and Sunny) went on a couple of weeks ago! Now, anything I will say would be redundant, because both Pamela and Kristen have already blogged about it! I urge you to have a read through their posts, because they were much more entertaining about it than I am likely to be.

We went canyoning in Minakami, it was the adventure of a lifetime and I promised myself that I would definitely do it again. We had a few minor injuries (Martin hit his head after leaping from a waterfall - talk about drama! His forehead bled for, like, AGES after that!), a few near brushes with disaster... (both Keiko and I had rather unfortunate luck when it came to jumping from a ledge into a churning mass of water below us - I try not to watch the video too many times because it makes me feel all queasy) and we all overcame a few personal fears. With Johanna it was a fear of heights... with me, it was a fear of exercise. I think Kristen is fearless (although she did scream like a girl on a few of those jumps) - Rosalind makes these cute, girly, squealy "oh dear" sounds when she's alarmed and Pamela tends to say "Oh Jaysus Christ" a whole lot more than usualwhen she's nervous!

All in all, it was great fun and definitely worth doing again!

Oh... and by the way... the most difficult part of the day for me was definitely getting into and out of those fecking wetsuits!!!

The "Safety" speech

Before

That's me, bringing up the rear as always

The first waterfall (20 m)

Getting ready to take the 20 m plunge (that nose plug wasn't effective at all)Pam - looking a bit nervous

Martin and Keiko - just after he banged his head

After

Water fight!

The molehill that turned into a mountain!!!

2007-07-02T15:23:00.000+09:00

Today I want to tell you a tale of turmoil, strife, personal triumph and the age old clash between good and evil (okay, maybe the last bit was slightly exaggerated). The names in this story have been changed to protect the identities of the people involved. Everything else is strictly true. (*pictures posed by re-enactment models).

Our story begins with a young woman named Natalia, who believed that it would be fun to go on a leisurely bike ride with her friends in order to check out the little-explored countryside surrounding their homes. Just recently, Natalia and one of her friends, Rosalie, finally acted on this dream – when for the first time in absolute ages, they both found themselves with a free Sunday. The weather was pretty good and they were both up for it...

*They agreed to meet halfway between Kamo and Sanjo on Route 403 – a plan which was flawlessly executed when they met up almost exactly halfway down the 403. They stopped at conbenie to get some lunch and then headed to Honai Botanical Gardens to have a picnic. The Botanical Garden was Rosalie’s idea (of course), she always seems to know about random plant places in the middle of nowhere and despite the uphill trek to the picnic spot (during which Natalia quite heroically kept the complaints down to a minimum. She really did. Seriously) it was all very pretty. After lunch, Natalia could see the yearning in Rosalie’s eyes to explore the gardens further, but she (Natalia) nipped that right in the bud by reminding Rosalie that they were on a biking trip, not an uphill hike (Natalia isn’t too fond of hiking). So they left and when they got back to their bikes Rosalie (rather snarkily – in this author’s opinion) invited Natalia to lead the way because she seemed to have “firm ideas of how the trip was to go”! Now Natalia had no firm ideas, no map in her mind of how the little excursion was to go, her main aim was to keep the very idea of “hiking” out of Rosalie’s head! In Natalia’s opinion, Rosalie is WAY too keen on stuff like that.

So off they went! It was all quite pretty – they “discovered” previously unknown shrines (well unknown to them), explored the bucolic countryside with smiles on their faces and joy in their hearts (they’re just those kind of girls). They stopped and took pictures of farmers working their fields, graveyards, dilapidated houses – anything that caught their fancy. All in all it was rather pleasant. Good weather and great company. Like the eager Rosalie so memorably commented, “What a lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon!”

After exhausting one side road they tried another and then another, happily chatting and snapping pics at every available opportunity. Every time they came across a fork or junction in the road – whichever one of them happened to be leading at the time would call out “Left or right” to the other and off they would go in the chosen direction. They were rather proud of themselves and all the ground they were covering – until they encountered a farmer they’d seen nearly an hour before – he was on foot! They were both shocked to realize that they hadn’t gone as far as they’d thought! That, or the farmer was some kind of teleporter who could conveniently zip between places at the speed of light. Sheesh…

Natalia – disgruntled by this power-walking farmer – suggested they check out a river that she knew of and Rosalie, ever eager, agreed to that. So they made their leisurely way toward the river. En-route, they discovered another road, one bordered by rice fields and heading toward some trees and they decided to explore it for a little while.

(could somebody please tell us what these gross foamy things are?!)

It was really beautiful, the road was very quiet, they encountered only two cars in the first ten minutes. The rice fields soon fell behind them and they were bordered by only trees. All they could hear were insects droning away in the green leaves and relaxing bird song. They were both eager to see where this road would lead and even when it started gently inclining Natalia (whom you would expect to protest at this point), said nothing about turning back. The two women chatted happily, stopped to take the occasional picture, remarked on how quiet the road was and kept cycling on their merry way. Now this was just one straight road, no turns off it and both ladies were eager to see where it led. Soon the sounds of civilization faded entirely, there were only birds, bugs and the sound of female laughter. They made off-colour jokes about how if they had been in a movie some psycho in a truck would pass them, before circling back to hunt them and torture them in all kinds of imaginative ways.

The incline gradually grew steeper... and Natalia got off her bike and started pushing it... they were both hot and sweaty by this time, but after nearly 40 minutes on this road neither of them were willing to give up on it! So they pushed forward – knowing (because they had encountered a road sign earlier) that this road would lead straight to Kamo – which meant that they were familiar with the destination and really, Kamo isn’t that far from Sanjo at all! After more than an hour, both were grimly determined to see it through! Their “leisurely” Sunday afternoon bike ride had become the UNTHINKABLE – an exercise in endurance and worse (for Natalia at least) an uphill frikken HIKE! Both women were pushing their bikes by this time as the road kept heading up – they still managed to keep their flagging spirits up by valiantly joking that “SURELY the road would decline after the next corner. SURELY”! They couldn’t see further than 100 metres up the road at any given moment because it twisted and turned so much, but one look over the side would show them how high up they were. Still, not one word of surrender... oh no, not these two stubborn women. They would bloody well get to Kamo or die trying! Besides, it wasn’t THAT bad... they could do this! They knew they could!

The road was steep but it was sneaky in that it always FELT manageable! Every time they rounded another corner they would groan inwardly when they realized that it wasn’t heading downhill yet! They hadn’t seen a car in over an hour... the pretty birdsong started to sound mocking, the butterflies seemed to taunt them and the trees loomed ominously above them! Nothing about this was pleasant anymore...FINALLY, after what seemed (and were) hours, they realized that the road ahead of them had started to dip... they were both ecstatic! There was a lookout point at the apex of the road (they were horrified - and feeling more than a little triumphant - when they saw how high up they actually were) and they stopped there to take a few "jumping with joy" pics from the top and to celebrate their “victory”. After congratulating themselves for a while, they jumped on their bikes and eagerly freewheeled down the mountain... it was bliss... the wind felt cool on their overheated, sweaty bodies and they were both laughing and happy to finally be done with this nightmare...

Then... disaster struck... the fucken bastarding RAT of a road (do excuse the profanity) kicked UP again!!! Both women were appalled! Now they were truly stuck between a rock and a hard place. Before they’d always had the option to turn back... but now, after coming down that steep road, they were faced with two unpalatable possibilities – to go back they would have to go uphill – to go forward they would have to go uphill! The terrible thing was not knowing what lie ahead of them! How long would this road keep going on for?! They’d been walking for nearly 2 hours... how much further would they have to walk to get off that damned road?! Going back didn’t seem viable and would make the whole afternoon seem like a waste of time... the only option was to (stubbornly) keep going forward! So once again, their shoulders drooping with exhaustion and resignation, they trudged uphill, pushing their burdensome bikes all the way.
This time there was no laughter, there was no stopping for pictures and gasping at the surrounding beauty... this time there was mostly silence, accompanied by heavy breathing, the occasional groan and rare comment. The birds cackled in glee, the bugs chirruped in laughter and the trees shook with mirth... The whole world seemed out to get them.

This time the uphill journey seemed longer and steeper – they never knew for sure... the sky was clouding over and they prayed that it would not rain! They were both hungry, in need of the bathroom and exhausted! Finally... after forever... their epic journey uphill ended and they were both so relieved they could have wept with joy! Still their odyssey wasn’t over yet... the rest of the way may have been downhill, but they weren’t sure how long it would last, weren’t sure if it would start going uphill again... weren’t sure of anything except that they were very, very tired!

They were challenged one more time when they encountered a fork in the road and an uninformative sign! Their decision this time was based purely on which road looked easier! One headed uphill again and the other downhill! No prizes for guessing which one they chose!

They chose well because the easier road led to Gejo Dam (close to Kamo) – there were a few more twists and turns a few more baby hills and suddenly they were there, at the dam! There were toilets, vending machines and EVERYTHING! It was Paradise, Utopia and Shangri-la all rolled into one! They could have wept with joy. They had been cycling and walking for nearly 4 hours (5 and a half in total if you add the ideal beginning).

They left Gejo dam after resting for a while and headed for the 403 (they were never happier than when they saw the sign leading back to the 403). They were never so happy to see cars, people and smell pollution in their lives before! Life had finally gone back to making sense...

The End

Happy birthday, bru!!

2007-06-28T23:58:00.000+09:00

Today is Nathan's birthday!! When we were both in our teens I made a bet with him that he would be balding by the time he hit 30 (because a few of our uncles were unfortunate enough to be hit by the balding bug at a fairly young age!). Today he's 30 and I'm out 50 bucks cos he hasn't lost any hair that he hasn't wanted to! Damn it - I should have looked to our dad - that dude's still got a full head of hair... that was one (MAJOR) point in Nathan's favour!

Oh well, que sera sera...

Happy birthday, Natey boy!!

Lotsa love

Tessa

My ABCs!

2007-06-20T23:16:00.000+09:00

Somebody sent me these questions! A lot of them are incredibly pointless, but I had fun filling them out anyway!

A
* Are you available?: To do what?!
* What is your age?: 28
* What annoys you?: When I have PMS: everything. Any other time: insects
B
* Do you know anyone named Billy?: Nope
* When is your birthday?: 27 April
C
* What's your favorite candy?: Chocolate (DUH)
* When was the last time you cried? Hmmm... what a challenging question. Sunday. For no particular reason other than I felt like it.
D
* Do you daydream?: Who doesn't?!
* What do you daydream about? Sex mostly... but sometimes fame and fortune and sex with a rich and famous guy!
* What's your favorite kind of dog? There's only one kind of dog and that's A Fidel!
* What day of the week is it? Wednesday (YAYYYYYYYYY!)
E
* How do you like your eggs? Scrambled
* Have you ever been in the emergency room?: YEP! In March, making sure a friend didn't DIE of alcohol poisoning!
* Ever pet an elephant?: Nope
F
* Do you use fly swatters: do you really care about the answer to this question?!
* Have you ever used a foghorn?: yet another dumb and pointless question.
* Is there a fan in your room?: What kind of fan? I have three electric ones (all on full blast at the moment), two handheld battery operated ones and a few million of the decorative Japanese one (comes with the territory)
G
* Do you chew gum?: All the time
* Do you like gummy candies?: The only candy I ever think of and eat is chocolate.
* Do you like gory movies?: of course
H
* How are you?: "I'mfinethankyouandyou?"
* What's your height?: 161 cm
* What color is your hair?: depends on my mood! But when I was born it was nearly black
* Whats your favorite ice cream?: C.H.O.C.O.L.A.T.E
* Have you ever been ice skating?: Of course
I
* Ever been in an igloo?: Nope
J
* What's your favorite Jelly Bean? Chocolate
* Have you ever heard a really hilarious joke?: Uh huh
* Do you wear jewelry?: I love bracelets and pendants
K
* Who do you want to kill?: Nobody - I love the world (cept when I have PMS - Then I just feel the need to kill everybody)!
* Have you ever flown a kite?: In Sanjo we have KITE BATTLES with huge kites the size of small cars! Cool!
* Do you think kangaroos are cute?: They're okay
L
* Are you laidback?: Most of the time.
* Lions or tigers?: Gotta say lions, cos I'm African.
* Do you like black lace?: I have no opinion on it.
M
* Favorite movie as a kid?: Aliens/Dirty Dancing/Back to the Future (so frikken MANY to choose from)
* Ever shopped at Moosejaw?: Irrelevant question! No Moosejaws in SA! And if there were, I SO wouldn't shop there! It sounds atrocious! We have The Cape Union Mart!! Hmm... why do these camping shops have such stupid names?! Kinda arb...
* Favorite store at the mall?: Edgars
N
* Do you have a nickname?: Several! Tessa, Satan, Satyne, Nat-chan (in Japan), Nat, Tash
* Whats your favorite number?: 713 and 3/4
* Do you prefer night or day?: Night! Cos all the coolest things happen at night! Day just means work!
O
* What's your one wish?: I wish for world peace and an extra slice of chocolate cake (that's one wish)!
* Are you an only child?: No... there's the OTHER one too! But I'm the interesting one!
* Do you like the color orange?: It's okay.
P
* What are you most paranoid about?: I'm paranoid about that dude who keeps talking to me through my computer!!!! He says the most PERSONAL things! I don't like him! I wish he'd stop...
* Have any piercings?: My ears are pierced
* Do you know anyone named Penelope?: I choose not to know people named Penelope. If I knew a Penelope, I'd totally give her a nickname!
Q
* Are you quick to judge people?: Don't think so!
* Do you like Quaker Oats?: I have a thing against it in Japan! Cos the pic on the box shows the oats with tiny mushrooms in it!! I mean EWWWWWWWW Oats and mushrooms?! How entirely gross and how completely Japanese!
* Know anyone that makes quilts?: I know a lot of people! A few of them may actually make quilts! Who knows?!
R
* Do you think you're always right? I don't THINK I'm always right. I frikken KNOW it!
* Do you watch reality TV?: Yup
* Do you prefer sun or rain?: Sun! SUN! SUNNNNN!!! Too much rain in Niigata!
S
* Do you like snow?: God NO! NO! NOOOOOOOOO! Too much snow in Niigata too!
* Whats your favorite season?: In Japan: Spring. In SA: Summer
T

* What time is it?: 10:23 pm
* What time did you wake up?: 8 am (although my alarm went off at 7:30)
* Do you have a tattoo?: I do indeed
U
* Can you ride a unicycle?: Nope! Why would I?!
* Do you know anyone with a unibrow? I won't name names!
* How many uncles do you have? : 4
V
* What's the worst vegetable?: Pumpkin
* Did you ever watch Veggie Tales?: No... I'm South African see!? We don't have dumb ass programmes like Veggie Tales! And if we DID it would be called Takalani Veggie Tales!!!
* Ever considered being vegan?: After living with m'best bud Annabelle the Monster Vegan for a year and a half... I'd have to say... NO!
W
* What's your worst habit?: Talking too loudly when I get excited!
* Do you like water rides?: Fun fun fun!!
* Ever been inside a windmill?: Nope
X
* Have you ever had an x-ray?: Uh huh!
* Ever used a Xerox machine?: Sighhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Y
* Do you like the color yellow?: That would be an unequivocal NO.
* What year were you born in?: Let's see... if I say I'm 28... I'd guess I would have to say: 1979!!!
* Do you yell when you're angry? No I seethe!
Z
* Do you believe in the zodiac?: Who's that?! Is that like God?! Or Buddha?! What religion or deity is the ZODIAC?! If you mean... do I believe in ASTROLOGY... I'd have to say, only when it suits me!
What's your zodiac sign?: Taurus

Pending...

2007-06-20T19:08:00.000+09:00

News about the Nagano football tournament, the weekend in Tokyo and Johanna's Southern Belle dinner (yummy!) to follow soon.

Update...

2007-05-28T12:20:00.000+09:00

Right... am hectically p-d off right now!! I wrote a nice, long update earlier on but the EFFING thing simply disappeared into thin air! That put me in an unbelievably bad mood... but I shall endeavour to recapture the wit, humour and sparkliness of the earlier post! And if I don't then too bloody bad, at least I tried!

Anyway, so my good friend Johanna, has recently pointed out that my blog is in serious need of an update. I thank her for her interest and am here to tell her that I was not really neglecting the blog because of my excessive facebooking... I am too aware of family and friends who are not on Facebook back home, so the blog'll always be here for them (and you of course, Hanna-chan x). No, instead I had nothing of import to report (hah - rhymes!)... and also because I've been in such a crappy frame of mind for so long, I felt it best to stay away from my blog! Two negative posts in the space of a month are, in fact, two too many. So I was waiting until I felt chirpier before coming back on here!

Also... my camera has given up the ghost! So I have no cool pics to post (boo hoo)... the poor camera somehow leapt from my hands in a desperate bid for freedom at my birthday party and went flying acoss the dance floor! This was not the camera's first violent clash with the ground (it was actually its third) - so when it landed, it let out a soft sigh and, quite understandably, simply died. I mourn its loss but eagerly anticipate the purchase of its replacement... a newer, sleeker, sexier model! Yay...

But the new camera will have to wait because I have a month full of weekend engagements up ahead. Footie in Nagano with the girls (yes I'll be playing! Try to contain your amusement at the thought! I know I'm the least athletic person on the face of the earth), Tokyo with Joycie and others, canyoning with Paul and others (I hope to have a camera for the canyoning weekend! But if the new camera is anything like its predecessor, I totally anticipate it jumping from my hands, bouncing off of rocks and straight into the rapids)!

In other news, Rosalind has decided to give me a belated birthday gift. A nude watercolour portrait of... uh... me! So how does she know what I look like nude? I hear you wondering. Well, she hasn't been checking out my nekkid body at onsens or anything like that! That would just be creepy. Instead she's been inviting herself around to my aparto and very politely asking me to strip. As a good host, I find myself quite unable to refuse... so this has led to some rather bizarre afternoons with me sitting around with no (hardly any) clothes on, while Ros sketches away furiously and we chat about prosaic things like the weather, what to have for dinner and movies. I promise not to upload any pics of the completed nude onto this blog. I wouldn't want to be responsible for anyone clawing their own eyes out in horror, or anything like that!

So what else is new? Well... uh... nothing much actually! Life has been a tad boring for me lately! What did I do for Golden Week?! Well, I stayed home! But my FRIENDS all travelled and I got some KEWL omiyage!! Why travel when you can get omiyage from the people who go away on vacations!?? Getting omiyage is JUST LIKE being there yourself really! Only BETTER! Yes, I do love living vicariously through others! It kicks BUTT!

Let's see...
News snippets:
1. Kris, Ros and I went to Pam's housewarming last week! 'Twas nice... great food! It was a potluck so there was a HUGE variety of... pasta. I got a bit drunk, we (well Ros, Deccy, Joel n I)went to karaoke, that was nice! But the Saturday was the best! The girls and I did some half-hearted sight-seeing in Murakami (it was COLD! Which explains the half-hearted bit), took some print club and then headed back to Pamela's to crawl under blankies and watch a movie (well the rest of them did! I slept through it! And, allegedly, snored a bit). Lovely day...

2. Been hanging out with the ladies a fair bit! Am going to miss them all like crazy when they leave!

3. Went to watch Spidey 3 and Pirates 3 at the cinema... Spidey 3 was my personal favourite! Less twisty, more interesting, less grim, more exciting... then again I've always been a Spidey fan (since I was but a wee one), so that movie would always have come out tops with me! Unless it completely sucked balls (like X-Men 3) - then no amount of money or ice-cream would have induced me to praise it at all!

4. Been going to the gym regularly-ish, with Kristen and Ros. It's been torture, because Kristen has devised all these diabolical Natasha-killing exercises which are obviously meant to demoralise me! So while I flop around trying to lift my entire body weight onto my elbows and toes, she and Ros stand around and mock me (picture them ominously looming above me, hands on their hips, casting shadows over my prostrate, weakened little self . Not a pretty picture is it? This is my life...sighhhh)! It's been fun all around (for them)!

Hah... Rosalind has been told off by TPTB at the gym on 3 separate occasions! The first time they reprimanded her for talking on her (well technically it was mine) cellphone... then a few weeks later, it was for resting on one of the benches in the weights area and just recently they nailed her for talking (TALKING!!! FGS)... now they've put up these "manner check" signs (in English) in the area we usually train in and the girls are convinced the signs are aimed at us (what with it being in English and all)... personally, I'm convinced it's just aimed at Rosalind, whose pic is probably up in the gym staffroom, with the word "troublemaker" emblazoned over it in red katakana! Anyway... for more on this topic, have a look at the very entertaining posts by Kristen and/or Ros. Funny stuff.

5. I don't think there's a number five...

I'll update this post when I think of something new to add to it! Now, I'll try to publish it without it disappearing on me again!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!!!

Jack Bauer in South Africa

2007-05-28T02:35:00.000+09:00

Oh dear...

Exams suck for ALTs as well as students!!

2007-05-17T13:21:00.000+09:00

Wow. Today is painfully boring. I hate exam time.

On a positive note (I've decided that from now on I will counteract all negative thoughts with positive ones - that way the negativity won't poison my emotional well-being. Profound, huh?!), uh... hmm, this is kind of difficult! Positive thought, positive thought, okay... weather (rainy and grey. Ick), friends (quiet as church mice today), appearance (meh). Okay wait, I think I have it... a positive thought... just FOUR MORE HOURS before I get to go home.

Gee, that sounded a lot better in my head than it looks written down! Siiiiiighhhhhhhh...

Rollercoaster

2007-05-10T13:08:00.000+09:00

Lately I've been in an emotional Nowhere Land. I've been kind of depressed and really negative about stuff (not my usual thing) and crying for nothing at the drop of a hat and I don't know why! So I decided to make a list of the good stuff and bad stuff going on in my life right now in order to evaluate my recent weirdness.

Some of the bad stuff:
1) The weather has been sucky it can't decide between warm or cold and it's annoying as hell.
2) I have to move schools AGAIN soon which means that:
a) I can't feel comfortable or settled in my current schools.
b) I have to say a whole bunch of farewells soon.
c) I have to get to know new teachers and students and prove myself worthy of their respect once more.
d) It feels like my first year ALL over again.
3) I will have to say goodbye to some really good friends in the very near future.
4) I've been feeling exhausted and unwell a lot lately.
5) I'm homesick, I miss my mum, bro, dog, friends, etc.
6) I can't sleep and am anxious for no reason.
7) Squat toilets (j/k).

Some of the good stuff:
1) Even though the weather is crap, it's still SPRING and the sound of the frogs croaking happily in the rice fields makes me smile. The cute bats and the pretty flowers make me smile too.
2) I still have TWO of the Baskin Robbins gift vouchers that Kristen gave me for my birthday (yummy!!!).
3) Even though they're leaving in less than 2 months, I have some pretty fantastic friends over here (y'all know who you are - mwah!).
4) Students always make me laugh, so I'm guaranteed at least one genuine laugh a day Monday through to Friday.
5) I've been going to the gym regularly-ish - so I feel like I'm doing something positive re: fitness and health.
6) I DON'T HAVE TO MOVE APARTMENTS AGAIN!
7) The Jusco has Cadbury chocolates!! YAYYYY!
8) Even though good friends are leaving, new people are coming.
9) Joycie's coming back!

Siiiighhhhhhh... so the good stuff outnumber the bad. I still feel like frikking crying, though!!! Grrrrr...

PS. Sorry bout the bitch fest!

Thanks

2007-05-06T19:45:00.000+09:00

To Mommy, Auntie V, Dianne, Wandile and Chevon for the phonecalls from home (I know how much it costs, so I REALLY appreciate it)! Thanks everyone for the cards, presents, emails and wishes. Thanks especially to my ladies, Johanna and Rosalind for the lovely surprise meal they cooked for me on my actual birthday! You ladies made the best lasagne and dessert (hehehe) I've had in ages! Jeez, this reads like an Oscar acceptance speech! So... and finally I'd like to thank the Big Guy upstairs... oh wait... there's no third floor in my building! Nevermind...

No seriously, thanks to all... I felt honto loved!

Mwah!!

Edit: And thank you to Roberto for calling the wrong number and leaving a message (undoubtedly filled to the brim with all kinds of kinky language) on the wrong answering machine! It's the thought that counts (and the thought of some poor Japanese person hearing to a message laden with words like sl*t, bitch, wh@re, and whatever other imaginative moniker you used to refer to me, is highly entertaining). Also thanks for pointing out my horrendous oversight in NOT mentioning you in the aforementioned "thank you's".