Four in the family!

Is it already the end of the year??!

2009-12-01T07:18:00.006+01:00

So now that the girls are finally aware that it's NOT OK to pull leaves off a tree, I was actually planning on finally starting the nice family tradition of setting up a Christmas tree (from IKEA), and wrapping gifts (wrappers also most likely from IKEA), etc...

And what do you know, the Japanese quarantine folks find a tiny bug in one of the hundreds (thousands?) of trees that IKEA has imported and banned ALL of them from being sold to the Japanese public. So IKEA-J sourced trees from elsewhere that met the requirement of the Japanese customs but made it very clear that they would now be in limited supply. It was sold out in a couple of days after they went on sale at the later date.

Anyone knows from where else we can get a live tree in Japan? We have no room to store those plastic or nice blue fiber optic ones.

2009-11-30T15:51:00.001+01:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Healthy-o

2009-08-19T07:08:00.003+02:00

I'm staring indecisively at this huge package that arrived yesterday. It contains what's touted as the healthy alternative to the microwave oven (actually it's supposed to cook healthier than conventional cooking) but WHERE IN OUR RAT HOLE kitchen am I supposed to put it???

For starters, it is larger than most microwave ovens. Secondly there is some pretty demanding space requirements, i.e. no walls and such within 5-10cm of its periphery (maybe because while cooking some of the steam it uses is emitted?).

So our bright red HEALSIO continues to remain in its cardboard box.
It wouldn't be for too long though, because the box is pretty massive too, and is taking up precious apartment space. Also the girls have taken a love for jumping on it. I wonder whether the warranty covers product damage even before it's taken out of its box.

They grow up quick!

2009-06-20T03:29:00.001+02:00

Here are a few photos of the girls taken on our last week or so in KL, with compliments from Uncle Steve. Our own more recent photos are still stuck in the camera, but rest assure they'll be posted soon!

Girls love all things that sparkle

The girls dance and play hide-and-seek at Starhill KL (this photo was taken somewhere between Starhill and JW Marriott KL) after some dim sum brunch.

Dinner time!

The girls at our regular and favorite dinner hangout, Yau Tuck Teng... or is it Mo Tuck Teng... can't remember. So much for doing some PR for them. Anyway, it's at the 2nd level of a corner coffee shop right across Secret Recipe at Taman Tun Dr Ismail. And the food is fantastic!

See you again soon, KL!

With suspicious-looking red-haired guy at the KL International Airport when it was time to say goodbye to our family in Malaysia. We'll be BACK!

Sorry

2009-06-15T16:27:00.000+02:00

I've been so slow to update the blog since returning to Japan. We're still trying to settle down, and that involves getting a larger harddisk! I've got so many photos to share, but no where to download them to. From where can I get a 1TB laptop??

Actually, even that will max out in a couple of years.

Back in sushi land

2009-05-28T16:37:00.000+02:00

And of course the first meal we got right after we landed was airport sushi!

We've been back for 3 weeks now and it's still difficult to say that we're fully settled down. More specifically, the girls are still not back to their regular sleeping routine yet, and our apartment still looks part warehouse part toy factory.

The kindergartens within the vicinity are full with long waiting lists (i.e. getting premier tickets to watch that Star Trek movie would be heaps easier) that the city hall officials gave us no hope of her starting kindy this academic year. We're considering the international kindy option. Yes, it'll cost a bomb but we think we should be able to manage if she doesn't go full time.

Our current apartment faces the sea. It's a bit like living on a beach resort except that it's also not. That's because right on the other end of the coast line is the city of Chiba and at night, it glows with lights! It's quite hard to believe that this will be our home for at least the next few months. Is it too much of a good thing? In a few months, we shall see!

Little M is down with impetigo, the poor thing. It doesn't help that she also caught a cold. Bigger M got impetigo at about the same time two years ago so she's immuned... one less thing to worry about. The scabs are finally healing and falling off, and so is the discomfort.

Nihon ryouri

2009-04-28T11:02:00.008+02:00

I love our meal times here in Malaysia! That's when I get to think through the many options we have and come up with something that, at that moment, the stomach feels is superior above the rest. Nasi lemak! Penang laksa! Char kuay teow!

But there was this one day when tummy shouted "Japanese!" Sure, it's a just a couple of weeks more before we can get our hands on seriously authentic Japanese food, but it's quite hard to resist when the kids also join in with your tummy to chant, "udon! udon! udon!"

So we gave in and settled for a pretty decent Japanese lunch here. The best part: it satisfied our year-long craving and yet didn't change our desire for some seriously authentic Japanese food when we return to Japan!

The restaurant: Sushi Zanmai, 1Utama, Bandar Utama.

Hanging out in PJ

2009-04-22T18:04:00.006+02:00

Despite being jet-lagged and sick more than half the time we've been here, we've still thankfully managed to attend parties, hang out with friends, and eat out a fair bit. I think we've had more social activities here this month than a whole year combined in Japan. And it's no wonder that Minori is asking over and over whether we can "ask daddy to come to Malaysia... I don't want to go back to Japan!"

It's an irony. We've heard over and over that the country is unsafe, we hear about all kinds of crimes on a daily basis, well-meaning friends and family tell us that it's "better for the children to be in Japan" ... and yet the people here seem happier. Most people whom we have met, whether friends or just people we bump into in the same apartment elevator or the makcik who comes to clean my mom's apartment once a week have been so friendly and nice, and the girls have picked up on the good vibes.

Could it be that the lack of security causes the people here to take it less for granted and appreciate more the simpler things in life?

Trading outdoor walks and playing in parks with indoor play in PJ, which is cooler (temperature-wise!) and a wee bit safer.

Back!

2009-04-20T12:56:00.003+02:00

I realize our blog is going stale! The last few weeks have been mad so much so that blogging, important as it is, hasn't exactly become a priority.

It's been weeks of packing, moving, battling jet-lag, getting sick, basically just living our crazy and hectic lives! We're now in Malaysia, enjoying a few stormless days finally. Minori is back in the same Malaysian kindergarten she went to last year for 2 weeks. She's been bugging me about sending her to kindergarten since the moment we touched down KLIA. Who would imagine that this is the same girl who would cry her lungs out and then sob in her sleep at nursery a couple of years ago?! English is the medium of communication but she picks up some Bahasa Malaysia and Mandarin too. The kind teachers are full of praise and encouragement for her. She's so blessed to have this Malaysia kindergarten experience.

I bring Marisa to a playgroup once a week. Although she didn't complain the first time around... this is my angel second daughter, remember?... she obviously was more comfortable at the second session. I'm looking forward to our playgroup again tomorrow!

It's so nice to be able to live in familiarity after months (even years!) of being the blur one. I can't say it's complete familiarity... year after year, PJ/KL becomes less familiar to me. But meeting with good old friends and their children, and just being in a sea of familiar faces bring about a kind of comfort that can't be experienced anywhere else in the world, no matter how exotic the location. The novelty wears off.

Passing down our friendship!

Picture of M&M with K&K (Kayden & Katelyn), adorable children of my friends Adeline and Li Hsing.

Fasching

2009-02-14T23:09:00.003+01:00

Minori's kindy celebrated Fasching several weeks ago and it's taken me this long to make a blog entry on it and upload the photos!

For awhile I was in a bit of a fix about what Minori should wear for the party so that she won't feel out of place. Buying her a bulky costume so close to returning to Japan was out of the question... right now, the last thing we need is clothing we wear only once to take up luggage space. I wish I had brought her a kimono/yukata for occasions like this (it did cross my mind before we left Japan but I didn't think she'd be able to walk in it for awhile).

Lo and behold, the day before the party I found these wings and wand at H&M for less than €5! They are light and able fit into our suitcase so we're bringing them back to Japan too!

On Fasching, 90% of the girls in her class came as butterflies, fairies, angels or princesses. With girls, you can't go wrong with wings!

Vienna sightseeing

2009-01-21T22:27:00.002+01:00

Sorry for the stall.

I'm having some problems trying to upload our gazillion photos here so I've put them on Facebook instead. Please click here to get there!

Vienna - Day 3

2009-01-20T22:47:00.002+01:00

Jan 20: We had lunch with daddy at the Naschmarkt. It's a traditional open market with stalls lined up in two to three neat rows for about several hundred meters. Between some of these stalls are built-up restaurants, which is a great idea for winter when people would rather be eating indoors.

Because we've been craving sushi recently and can't get anything decent in Rostock, we ate at a restaurant called Tokori, which serve up sushi, among other kinds of Asian food, although none of the people working there seems to be Japanese. Later we realized it's really not difficult to find sushi in Vienna... many of the run-down take-out outlets have it too. Tokori wasn't great, but was good enough to satisfy our craving for a bit of home.

Karlskirche

Since our apartment is in the city center, the girls and I decided to just check out the area which gave us enough to see for the day. The cathedral near our apartment, for example, Karlskirche, is a magnificent piece of architecture. Although throughout our stay we must have walked past it over a dozen times, each time we do it looks a little different.

A school near Karlskirche. Yes, even schools look this great here!
Faces and heads popping from walls and around arches seem to be a common theme in Viennese architecture.

Vienna - Day 2

2009-01-19T23:40:00.000+01:00

Jan 19: When the girls and I woke up, the room smelled of coffee. There was already breakfast on the table. Daddy had jogged out to a nearby supermarket early in the morning to grab some coffee, milk, salami, cheese, lettuce and a baguette for our first breakfast in Vienna.

Carrie was right at the door just before 10am. She had come all the way from Zurich to spend the weekend in Vienna and meet us. Only a week before she was in the US (Hawaii just days before the Obamas' vacation, Seattle then Portland). Several days after Vienna, she was to leave for KL for the Chinese New Year. Oh and did I mention the day before today, she made a day trip to Slovakia? Where does she get the energy? The kids, she says. Kids that she can play with but do not own. I have not seen Carrie in years but she has not changed. She obviously still puts the Energizer bunny to shame and has retained her million watt smile.

Daddy headed off to work while the rest of us took a train to the Schönbrunn Zoo. We saw pandas, koalas, and more vicious species, and ate chestnuts and potato wedges. The girls barely napped -- with so much to see and zesty Aunty Carrie for company who can blame them?

The Schönbrunn Castle is in the background, right at the end of the row of pines.

Aunty Carrie took the overnight train back to Zurich. We're so thankful that she made this trip to see us. Our fingers are crossed that it won't be another couple of years before we meet again.

Vienna - Day 1

2009-01-18T23:24:00.000+01:00

Jan 18: We left our apartment at the crack of dawn, for the train station for our 2.5hr train ride to Hamburg where we caught the plane heading to Vienna. Arrived in Vienna, took more trains, walked in the blistering cold and slush with two sleepy kids, and found the hotel apartment that we were to call home for the next 7 days. Realized that the apartment is located close to a beautiful church with a magnificent dome but was too tired to find out what it's called. Got to the apartment, pulled out the sofa beds and collapsed into them for a well-deserved nap!

"This uncle"

2009-01-17T00:17:00.011+01:00

Minori became a bit of a Wang Leehom fan after watching him a few days ago on CNN's Talk Asia. She was completely fascinated that:

"He speaks English and Chinese!"

"He plays the guitar and violin and piano!"

"He's just like Leo!" when he conducted the Hongkong Philharmonic Orchestra. To those who don't watch the Disney Channel, Leo is a character in the Little Einsteins who likes to conduct.

Conclusion: "I like this uncle. He looks like Uncle James" (later it was Uncle Steve). <-- time to get either her or my eyes checked.

Note: In Malaysia, children typically refer to someone older as "uncle" or "auntie" out of respect. In Japan, someone around Leehom's age would probably be "oniisan" (big brother) or "oneisan" (big sister).

Wien

2009-01-17T00:03:00.000+01:00

We will finally get our opportunity to see what else is there in this beautiful continent of Europe besides Germany. This weekend, we will all be going with Daddy to Vienna on his working trip.

With all the recent news about the cold winter and limited supply of gas -- I hope Russia and Ukraine sort this out real quick -- I'm hoping for the temperatures to rise above freezing point next week. The weather forecast looks promising and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will remain that way.

In the meantime, my prayers go out to my friends in the US, especially in the Midwest, who are battling the unexpectedly severe winter conditions. Think warm thoughts!

Bugged!

2009-01-13T16:00:00.004+01:00

Our apologies for not posting much in the last few weeks. The truth is that we've been taking turns to get sick. There seems to be a throat infecting virus/bacteria going around Rostock... we've heard of friends and friends of friends getting it. In our family, the germs have made a complete round and come back to me again. Sick a second time in 2 weeks!!!

As soon as I'm back on my feet and back on track with my photo uploading, I'll set up a decent blog entry. In the meantime, I'm wishing our blog followers better health!

Blessed Christmas!

2008-12-19T23:25:00.000+01:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Greatness

2008-12-12T23:48:00.006+01:00

"I have never been the kind of person who has defined myself by a career or a job... People used to ask me that during the course of the campaign: ‘Is it hard for you to have stepped off the track and devoted your life to his dream?’ But the truth is that I believe in this man as our president, and his vision for the country. And if that meant stepping away from my particular job . . . that’s a small sacrifice to make.”

Michelle Obama, Nov 26, 2008, in her interview with Barbara Walters.

Background from Wikipedia:

Alma Mater: Princeton University, Harvard Law School.

According to the couple's 2006 income tax return, Michelle's salary was $273,618... while [Barack Obama] had a salary of $157,082 from the United States Senate.

I want to dedicate this entry to a friend who has recently been taking a lot of heat for expressing her enjoyment in being a stay-at-home-mom and supporting her husband on the domestic front. As you can see from the universally popular upcoming First Family, staying at home and bringing up your own children is the new cool! :D

Kefir

2008-12-03T23:12:00.006+01:00

Several weeks ago, our friends S&S gave us a few kefir grains and instructions on how to make our own kefir drink. It's funny that they are called grains because they look like cauliflower and are rubbery in texture. Kefir grains are a combination of bacteria and yeasts, like yogurt.

In Japan, I remember watching infomercials on TV about something being similar to, but is even healthier than, yogurt that comes from Russia. I think it was kefir. According to Wikipedia, it is becoming increasingly popular due to new research into its health benefits. Many different bacteria and yeasts are found in the kefir grains, which are a complex and highly variable community of micro-organism.

Making a kefir drink is really quite simple. I just add milk to the grains and leave it to ferment in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours. When we feel like drinking it, I just pour the stuff out into our cups, rinse the grains with cold water, put it back into a clean container, add milk and leave it for another 24 hours or so. It's a little sour, like yogurt, and it's more so the longer we leave it in the fridge. It tastes great with honey though.

The kefir grains keep multiplying so they never actually run out. I'm happy to give some away to whoever who wants to try it!

Why I think MObama is cool #2

2008-11-27T23:32:00.003+01:00

From Barbara Walters Special, Nov 26, 2008, ABC.

Why I think MObama is cool #1

2008-11-27T23:22:00.006+01:00

... and why I think BObama is cool for recognizing and acknowledging it...

From Barbara Walters Special, Nov 26, 2008, ABC.

Say "Cheese!"

2008-11-26T11:24:00.001+01:00

Marisa finally gets her own toothbrush (in pic: the green one on the left).

For weeks now, she would observe Minori brush and then open her mouth for daddy to brush hers too! When we finally got her her own toothbrush yesterday, she knew exactly what to do and how to use it.

She still only has got four little pearly whites, but they will clean little peraly whites!

Minori is 3 and a half!

2008-11-13T23:27:00.004+01:00

The older sister started going to a German kindergarten about 2.5 months ago. Everyone there speaks German so she's really picking up the language. The kindy experience is also great in the sense that she's so much more independent. She is now capable of dressing herself up, putting her shoes on, brushing her teeth (we still do a brush over after that) and going to the toilet on her own.

At home, whenever she's willing I try to get her to help out with some of the household chores, like laying out the table for dinner, putting the dirty dishes into the dish washer, hanging out the clothes to dry, and watching her baby sister. I think her favorite is helping to bake -- and afterwards, eat -- what she calls "corn flakes cookies."

She's become technologically savvy too (aren't all kids these days?!). It's amazing that using a TV remote control is so instinctive to her (and her 13-month-old sister!). So is turning on the CD player, Skyping, watching videos on YouTube (she knows how to get the videos to Full Screen!) and manipulating the electronic dictionary. In this photo, she types her own name into the dictionary to find out what it means.

Here's a picture of Minori and her own little walnut cafe! Not sure whether she'll be the little helper or competitor to her uncle when we return to Japan.

Marisa is ONE

2008-11-11T23:39:00.003+01:00

This entry is long overdue. Marisa turned one on Oct 7.

It's amazing how quickly her first year went by (with the packing, moving, traveling, adapting, etc.). Still, watching her achieve her milestones has been and is still extremely fascinating. It never gets old, even when we've seen it before.

Marisa started walking at 11.5 months old. Now at 13 months, she's running. Once the passive one, she now knows how to exert her will, sometimes a little too loudly (thanks to the example shown by her older sister *sigh!*). Just several days ago, she unexpectedly said "real" words, like "apple" or "Elmo" and stunned us all! Like I said, it never gets old.

Dancing seems to be a passion at this stage. Her favorite tunes are in the Mary Poppins soundtrack, and more recently in tourism TV commercials of exotic places like Montenegro, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. I think she likes the ethnic drum rhythms. This morning, she did some fancy footwork that looked like salsa to a South African commercial on CNN! I rolled on the floor laughing when I should have grabbed my videocam instead!

It's amazing... the places she's been before she turned one. Berlin is a good example. More on that in another entry!

Extreme make-over!

2008-10-14T11:40:00.019+02:00

BEFORE

40+ year house that was passed down from one generation to another
a favorite parking spot for cyclists who needed to hop onto trains at the nearby station but didn't want to pay for parking
the piece of land received many unreasonably good offers during the bubble economy in Japan but no one in the family had the heart to sell it
daddy used to say: "we're just waiting for the earthquake or typhoon to bring it down," but the house withstood almost everything, so they had to do something before somebody got hurt!

AFTER

Several days ago, my dear friend (and a wonderful photographer and cook!) Hani took this picture of her family at that same spot. The place has transformed into something worthy of visit from someone living all the way in Yokohama! It is now a 6-floor apartment with a cozy little cafe on the 1st floor.

* Hani, thanks for letting me use this photo! I love it... your boys intently looking at one direction (presumably at something that interests only boys) while Aimee-chan is just happily sleeping in her stroller!

BEFORE (2002)

There were always persimmons in the house. The persimmon trees that grew in the garden had the sweetest fruit. This one was over-ripe, but still good!

AFTER (2008)

We'll be seeing less of persimmons now and more of coffee... and tea and rare cream cheese cake and pudding and walnuts. Kurumed Cafe ("kurumi" is Japanese for walnut) opened on October 1, 2008 to serve up specialty coffee. Owned by my brother-in-law, this place, I was told, features a fancy interior and a cozy environment for families with children. Hani said that her family enjoyed themselves!

BEFORE (2002)

AFTER (2008)

That person in the 'Before' photo still bums around the place like this... some things you just can't make over.

New blogger format, Obama, etc.

2008-09-29T10:22:00.000+02:00

Gosh I really need to get used to this new Blogger format. I thought I have made several new entries and now I'm not sure to where they have gone.

We've been closely following the American presidential race and the fact that Minori can say and recognize Obama and HClinton even before she even turned 3 proves it (is it too early to tell that she's a non-American Democrat?). With Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, a candidate's wife that looks like Barbie, an ex-beauty queen running mate thrown in, it's just so full of drama and fun. At least more so than the political scenes from our countries. Besides there's no underestimating how much impact the American president (and First Lady) can have on the rest of the world. Was it an ex-French premier who said that the foreign community should also have a say as to who the next American President should be?

Yesterday while cleaning up after breakfast I casually asked DH who he'd vote for if he were an American, and he replied "Obama" without any hesitation. This is coming from someone who 90% of the time either tries to sound tactful by not taking sides or to refuse giving an answer.

In our household we vote for integrity. And even a preschooler knows who has it.

In memory of our beach time...

2008-09-14T23:17:00.001+02:00

Summer has officially ended :(. Actually with daily lows of below 10 degrees, it's starting to feel like winter.

Here are a few pics we took over summer of Warnemunde, a touristy beach town about 20 minutes by train from where we live. It overlooks the Baltic Sea right across Sweden and Denmark. We were there practically every weekend that was not rained out.

There's more to Warnemunde than surf, sand and sea...

You can tell just by looking at her face that her heart skipped a beat as she came down this long and steep slide!

How to talk

2008-08-21T23:00:00.004+02:00

I'm almost done with what some book critics call the "parenting bible." I'm usually a little skeptical with books that claim to be a bible of some sort but this one came so highly recommended by "real" people that I just had to give it a shot.

It's a thumbs up.

I particularly like the authors' style of asking the reader (presumably a parent, or nanny which brings me to another review later on the book I'm currently attempting to read called The Nanny Diaries) to put him/herself in the child's shoes to understand what the child could potentially feel if spoken to in a certain way.

Also, apparently there is a correct way to praise, and it is not "good boy/girl" or "that was brilliant" etc...

Another surprise: Saying "I'm proud of you!" doesn't necessarily make the child feel good about him/herself!

Imitating everything she sees

2008-08-20T23:07:00.004+02:00

If you are a Disney fan, you'll probably know Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum from Disney's animation of Alice in Wonderland.

These are the Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum in our family.

Mary Poppins and robin singing "Just a Spoonful of Sugar."

Our own "Mary Poppins" and little sister's plush chicken singing "Just a Spoonful of Sugar."

Playing the big sister

2008-08-08T21:44:00.004+02:00

The older sister acts like one.
The little sister is thrilled!

(video taken on 30 June 2008)

10 months old

2008-08-07T00:39:00.002+02:00

In a blink of an eye, Marisa turns 10 months old. She started to stand for a few seconds at a time today, without support.

Marisa is fast becoming a little chatterbox like her older sister ("papa," "mama," "ayee" @that's how she addresses her older sister, "bye bye," "paipai" @oppai in japanese meaning she wants to be breastfed, etc), and already knows how to play passing games and to make gestures (waving, clapping, tapping on her head, etc). A favorite past time is opening the kitchen cabinets to pull out the sieve or dance to her reflection on the oven window.

Daddy's dancer girl!

2008-08-01T23:42:00.008+02:00

A dress and a bouquet (who cares if it's just parsley!).

Daddy was to complete the picture. Maybe she's been watching too much of that Anastasia animation on DVD where Anastasia dances with her father, the Tsar, in a scene.

As you can see far from being Tsar-like, daddy, still a bit dazed in pajamas, had no idea what hit him when Minori grabbed his hand and said, "daddy, let's dance like this!"

Apartment tour: Girls' room

2008-08-01T22:29:00.008+02:00

Thanks to our lovely landlady Hanna, Minori and Marisa have a room in our rented apartment decorated just for them! It looks quite bare because the girls play out in the living room usually.

After bringing home a parsley plant from the supermarket, Minori took it, changed into a dress, and started dancing with it like it were a bouquet of flowers! Girls will be girls!

Has it been 9 months???

2008-07-09T23:13:00.006+02:00

It's amazing how quickly time flies! Marisa has already spent more time outside the womb than inside. And from the way she observes her older sister, we can tell that she can't wait to grow up.

Daddy's soccer girl!

2008-07-09T16:55:00.009+02:00

There are many places in the little town of Rostock where we can just sit out and enjoy the sun (and a kebab!). This video was shot in May in one of these nice parks.

Minori making daddy very proud!

Apartment tour: bathroom

2008-07-03T16:16:00.007+02:00

It's huge and we do everything in it - shower, bathe, toilet, laundry and hang our clothes out to dry. Yes, I was also surprised to learn that in Rostock people don't use a dryer, considering that it's usually rainy. They love hanging their clothes out in the garden in spring, summer and whenever they can, according to my landlady, because the clothes smell very nice this way.

We live on the 3rd floor and there's no way I'm able to lug our laundry up and down three flights of stairs with the two little ones several times a week so we have a little portable hanger for our clothes in our bathroom. We live in the "penthouse" (hahaha!) so there's a huge window in our bathroom ceiling that brings in a lot of fresh air and sunlight. I absolutely love this bathroom!

We used to have to try all sorts of tactics to get Minori to take her bath every evening. Since moving here, she jumps at the opportunity to dip in the long bath with her little sister.

Nothing much has changed for Marisa in this regard. She has always loved her baths, and she still does!

View from our window

2008-07-02T16:36:00.003+02:00

Timmy and Linda, our landlord's children playing in the garden.

A couple of times a week, hot-air balloons carrying advertisement fly over the apartment.

I think this photo was taken slightly before 10pm (yes, these days we're still wearing our sunglasses after 8pm!). The sky at sunset looks different every day from our apartment. Sometimes it's very blue and purple, yesterday we had streaks of pink. A favorite past-time now is to just sit on our couch and watch the sky.

No haircut for me today

2008-06-30T12:58:00.005+02:00

The Euro 2008 ended yesterday. Before the game, fans here in Rostock (which is everyone I guess) flocked the bars and pubs to collectively watch the final match between Germany and Spain, and to get drunk. I think even outside of the country, Germany was the favorite to win (having won the cup three times before). Black, red and yellow everywhere.

But alas...

We still heard bad singing and drunkards shouting in our neighborhood streets after the game, but things would definitely have been louder if Germany had won. Still, I think I'll miss all the excitement that surrounded the games.

I had thought of getting a haircut this week (many German women have very chic short haircuts) but maybe not today. There's a very good chance the hairdressers are soccer fans... had better let them "mourn the loss" first.

Guten Tag

2008-06-28T17:49:00.008+02:00

Dear friends n family:

I just want to post a quick "hi we're alive although we haven't been blogging or online in the last three months."

It's a long story that I'm very tempted to share but the bottom line is that we finally got our internet access yesterday. Once I get up-to-speed with things, I'll be posting photos and videos. Lots of them. Please check back soon!

Love,
The 4 of us

P.S. While typing this, Marisa just clapped for the first time! Oh these developmental milestones... we never get tired of them, first or second baby!

P.S.S. Weird photo taken by PhotoBooth application on our MacBook. How else to take family photo with just us. Please try to ignore the pajamas.

It's been 5 years???

2008-03-15T17:40:00.004+01:00

This photo was taken 5 years ago. Where did all that time go??

So much has happened in the last five years... we got ourselves two beautiful girls, we've met and known 5 batches of J's zemi students, I went from business school to two different jobs, we've moved apartments twice, J's finger outgrew his wedding band, I lost mine in the shower... etc...

Friends and family haven't said anything about our missing bands. Perhaps they've not noticed. Or even if they have, perhaps they're just too polite to ask.

Time to get new rings?

Inawashiro

2008-02-18T15:50:00.006+01:00

We love predictability as much as novelty. There are a few regular trips we make every year - the ski resorts in Hirayu and Inawashiro, and the beach resort in Katsuura.

A couple of weeks ago, we went on daddy's "zemi" (as in seminar) trip to Inawashiro and again stayed at the Listel. It's Minori's third time there.

On this trip it felt like we were in Hongkong. People were speaking cantonese and mandarin every where in the resort. I met a Hongkong family who told me that schools in Hongkong were having their vacation. No wonder.

Here are more pictures (pictures with compliments from Yumix).

Daddy and Minori at the buffet.

Marisa in her little Hotel Listel crib at the buffet.

Daddy and several of his students.

"Oh, snowboarder!" the guy from Hongkong said. "And you say you're from Malaysia??" (Malaysia boleh! :D )

This is my favorite batch of zemi students. They are such a fun bunch! This is probably the last time we'll see everyone together before we leave for Germany (one guy from China not photographed here as he had to leave early that morning to catch his flight back to China for the Chinese new year).

All the best in your future undertakings! We miss you all already!

Who does Marisa look like?

2008-02-09T15:59:00.001+01:00

Is this a software limitation? I was hoping for a more interesting result... oh well.

Who does Minori look like?

2008-02-09T15:54:00.001+01:00

Achtung!

2008-01-31T08:20:00.000+01:00

We really should be packing for our big move to Rostock, Germany, but since we hate packing, we're so procrastinating it until God knows when. Junji will be spending his one-year sabbatical pursuing his research at the Max Planck Institute and he wants the family to go along. Which will be even nicer if it didn't mean having to pack up our apartment, with two babies in the house!

I met a lovely German woman at the Urayasu International Center yesterday...

"Rostock!?!" she exclaimed. "It's REALLY COLD there!"
"But it's beautiful in spring and summer," she consoled.

Great. It's probably something like up the northest end of Hokkaido. Junji's wish comes true. He has always wanted to see what it's like living in some remote town in Hokkaido.

Ready or not... Rostock, here we come!

Development milestone

2008-01-26T15:41:00.000+01:00

Marisa used to prefer just lying on her back and fussed each time I turned her over. Not anymore. She has finally realized that in this position, she is capable of moving a lot more and getting a whole new perspective of the world. Tummy time is starting to get real fun!

Daddy's birthday

2008-01-23T15:23:00.000+01:00

"Enough already with the clicking and flashing. We want cake!"
(Picture of daddy and the girls he has "achieved" by age 37.)

On January 23rd, daddy got a year older. Initially Minori couldn't understand why she wasn't the one to blow out the candles but I think eventually she didn't care as long as she could have her cake.

Many happy returns of the day, daddy!

Hirayu onsen

2008-01-23T14:43:00.000+01:00

This entry should really be part of our new year report. We made our annual skiing/snowboarding trip to Hirayu with jiiji and baaba again at the turn of the year!

In between coming down the slopes, Minori and I built things that looked like snowmen, or snow robots? Whatever they were, we had fun.

Marisa was quite content to just sleep the day away...

...waking up only when she wanted to eat or take a dip in the onsen (hot spring)!

New year report

2008-01-20T14:59:00.000+01:00

Our new year blog entry is SO late and I'm half tempted to skip it all together, but there was just so much excitement at the Kageyama house in Okazaki on Jan 1 this year that it will be selfish not to share it.

With two babies - Marisa and her slightly older cousin Yuno - under the age of 5 months under the same roof, crying was inevitably heard in the house every now and then. (Picture: Uncle Keiju with nieces -- a very pretty Yuno and Marisa who looks like she's about to burst into tears from sleep deprivation and too much attention).

Two preschoolers, Minori and her 3-year-old cousin Mizuki, and 6-year-old Kanata were often seen, or heard rather, laughing or screaming or chasing each other around the house. (Picture: Minori looking like one of the boys).

Here's a picture of Marisa spending some quality time with her Jiiji after the other cousins have returned to their respective homes.

Minori plucked flowers from Jiiji's garden...

...while Marisa awaits patiently.

The family picture... it was impossible to get everyone to look at the camera at the same time!

Marissa to Marisa

2008-01-11T15:24:00.000+01:00

Marisa is now spelled with a single "s". When applying for her passport, the officer said her romanized name has to correspond to her Japanese name (which is まりさ, for those who can read Japanese fonts). We've received feedback from family and friends that "Marisa" is actually a lot easier to NOT misspell, so we're not complaining.

So there you have it, folks, we now have Minori and MARISA.

Happy new year!

2008-01-11T15:14:00.001+01:00

We start the new year with a new blog to accommodate baby Marisa, the newest addition in our family. Although the previous blog, World of Minori, will continue to exist, from now on we will be posting on this site instead.

Please continue to keep in touch with us here!