No haircut for me today

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

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???

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

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?

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

Who does Minori look like?

Achtung!

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

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

"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

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)!