Ex Pat Christmas Party

A friend from the UK organized a big traditional Xmas feast at a retired teacher's house. 10 ex-pats living in Bangkok gathered on Christmas Day to enjoy a meal of turkey, stuffing, potatoes..even pumpkin pie!

I took many photos of this special day...

The coffee table filled with light snacks:


The dining table and tree:


A "garland of happiness" -- traditional Thai ornament:


All the delicious food -- which was ordered in from a restaurant!


My plate:


My friends teased me when I decided to sit on the floor and eat, saying:
"You're practically Japanese, so yes, you should sit on the floor!" (laugh)
My friends are funny/cute/know me very well. ^_^

cutenekko on the floor:


My friend teased me after taking this picture, saying:
"You look like you have no friends! Sitting all by yourself!" (laugh)
A Thai friend joined me on the floor too, after this photo was taken....so I wasn't lonely! ^_^

I really enjoyed mingling and meeting new people. About half the guests I met for the first time at this party, so I made a point to chat with them. Believe it or not, I used to be a very, very shy nekko. Really! I've changed my past behavior and am an "extreme extrovert" now. I talk to everybody!! ^_^
I like the extrovert-version of cutenekko very much.

Party guests:


Two more guests:

This party was a smashing success. My UK friend did a great job. We already asked her to plan another party soon! ^_^

**Special Bonus**

To my Japanese readers:

明けましておめでとうございます！今年もよろしくお願いします！^_^

To my Thai friends:

สวัสดีปีใหม่

To my Canadian, German, & international friends:

A very Happy New Year! May 2012 bring you happiness and good health. ^_^

My first home party

The title of this post sounds like a children's book: "My first day at school" or "My first bicycle". Haha.
Back in early December, I had attended a home party for fellow Toastmaster members and it was really fun. It got me thinking: why don't I do the same? ^_^

I invited 12 people, but in the end, only a few could attend. Oh well. Despite being small, my group of friends and I had a great time chatting and eating.

I made apple pie...

...and a veggie platter with Hummus dip. (my mom's suggestion, thanks mom!)

Due to the party being held just before Xmas, I bought candy canes too...

My friends all brought some food too--pizza, chicken, vegetables...The little coffee table in my living room was transformed into this...

My friends are all quite funny, so I really enjoyed the evening. ^_^

Home parties are not so common in Japan, due to the limited room in one's home; despite that, I am still planning on hosting some parties after moving there. I like having friends over to eat, drink and laugh. As the majority of my blog readers are Japanese, I wonder, will you come over? I can meet some more blog fans! ^_^

冬のソナタ東京 #10 | Winter Sonata Tokyo

I had to head back home early in the morning, so I took the new Skyliner train from Ueno station to Narita airport.

As I love trains, I wanted to try it out for the first time. The cost was much cheaper than taking the bus too -- about half price!!

The inside was really neat:

The view from my seat to the station platform:

After departing, I enjoyed the nice views of the city...

At Narita, I decided suddenly to get myself a Christmas present. I picked up a new bag. Everyone who knows my elephant bag, always comments on how big it is. *sigh* I love my big elephant bag. But okay, I probably should have a smaller bag, something for traveling lightly. My elephant now has a new traveling partner...

Pink...my happy color. ^_^

When we arrived in Bangkok, I was surprised how cool it was. My driver said it had rained earlier in the day, making the air cool. My elephant and I stretched out in the back seat for the journey home...

Culture point: In Thailand, which is a largely Buddhist nation, many drivers will have these medallions or charms hanging from the rear view mirror to ward off accidents, protect their car, for driving safely, etc. I like the sound they make while driving...like a small tinkling bell.

During this Winter Sonata trip, I realized -- Tokyo is my kinda place. I like the opportunities the city presents and the smart people living there, who have had international experiences (like myself).
I also like being around people who push me to do difficult things,  people who are busy, people I can learn from. Tokyo is a lot like Bangkok -- many unusual people -- somewhat nomadic, unable to feel completely settled...always looking for the next challenge.
That's me too.  2012 should be fun. Let's go! ^_^/

The Keisei Skyliner train travels between Ueno and Nippori stations to Narita airport. English info HERE. 日本ん語 information ここ。In Bangkok, I always hire a private car & driver to pick me up at the airport. The service is 900 baht. Website and bookings HERE. 

冬のソナタ東京 #8 | Winter Sonata Tokyo

I was pretty excited about this day -- one of my buddies took the day off work and offered to take me to Nikko. I was told via text message to meet at Kita Senju station by 8.10am. Normally, this would not be a problem, but in Bangkok, 8.10am equals 6.10am. o_O

We took the Tobu-express train to Nikko. This says "express", but the ride is about 2.5 hours and via a local train -- meaning, the seats faced each other and did not recline. Despite that, we enjoyed the nice views from the windows:

It was my first time to enter Tochigi prefecture, so when our train stopped at that station, I got a quick photo:

I think my blog readers know I love traveling by train. As I mentioned earlier, the reasons are:
- slow travel is relaxing
- it's a great way to see the country
- you can enjoy chatting with friends ^_^

Put cutenekko on any train = super sparkling happy  ^_^

Upon arrival at Nikko station, I got a photo!

Do I look cold? I was... @_@

We walked from the station to Nikko, which is a World Heritage site comprising of a series of temples and shrines. I got a photo at a beautiful red bridge before entering the park:

My friend knows I am a huge 世界遺産 [World Heritage] hunter, so I got a photo at the sign:

Sleepy....@_@

My mother wondered what kind of park this was, so I took a photo of the first series of shrines:

I saw many beautiful things here!
The famous 3 monkeys -- Hear no evil, See no evil, Speak no evil:

A gorgeous pagoda...

...and a happy cutenekko!

A decorative lantern...

A huge candelabra...

The details of the wood carvings were incredible! I got a photo for my readers...

Here is the main gate to the upper shrine area... the golden color is really lovely:

In this area, there is a famous carving of a "sleepy cat"...I had to take a photo:

We hiked further up the mountain to visit the grave site of Japan's most famous leader: Tokugawa. The area is surrounded by huge trees...I honestly felt I was back in Canada. My friend and I also prayed at a tree here that is said to grant your wish. What did I pray for? Continued happiness, of course! ^_^

Tokugawa's grave: 

It was getting late, so we walked back to the station to catch the train. Before boarding, we picked up some 駅弁[eki - ben = train station lunch box]. I selected, yuba [ゆば], a kind of tofu, with sushi vinegar rice. 

My box outside...

...and inside! 

We chatted the entire train ride back about many things -- our love of 100 yen shops, our investments, our sports and hobbies (we're both into scuba diving and skiing). I mentioned that life doesn't get any better than eating a lunch box and riding the train. Honestly, I couldn't have been happier. The resulting 2.5 hours passed by very quickly. 


Later that night, I met my Canadian friend and his Thai girlfriend for a late dinner. As this post is quite long already, I'll save that for tomorrow. 


Nikko is located in Tochigi prefecture. From Tokyo, about 2.5 hours by train. The ticket one way cost ¥1,350. Information can be found HERE and HERE. There are numerous festivals held here, including a very famous one, in which men on horses try to shoot an arrow at a target. See the website HERE. (日本語 only) You can also enjoy 温泉 [on-sen = hot springs] and hiking in Nikko. I will be sure to visit again! ^_^ 

冬のソナタ東京＃7 | Winter Sonata Tokyo

I had made so many appointments to meet friends, this was the first day to myself! One of my students had recommended to check out 中野[Na-ka-no] area, as a potential place to live. So, I went. ^_^

At the station, I took a picture of the map, which I thought might be useful while walking around. It wasn't...I still got lost! (laugh) I am such a girl...^_^

While wondering around I headed down a little side street and found this:

...a soba shop!!!! Soba translates as "buckwheat noodles" and these are my favorite. How to make cutenekko happy? Take her to a soba shop. Really, it's that simple. (laugh)

The menu was really hard to read, so I just asked in Japanese:

店員さんのおすすめは何でしょうか？私は野菜と暖かいそばを食べたいな〜。

[What is the recommendation of the shop owner? I want to eat veggies and hot soba.] 

First reaction: The lady looked VERY relieved that I could speak Japanese. Second reaction: She spoke a LOT of Japanese in a flurry to me! I had a hard time keeping up. She was so cute. ^_^ She asked about my budget and I said, "For today, no budget!" So, we agreed on two things...

天ぷら! [Tempura -- deep fried veggies in a light batter]

... and hot soba. ^_^ Holy sheep. It was so good. I was in heaven! 

I also drank soba tea:

While sitting, I read through a るるぶ magazine about Nakano area, and enjoyed looking at all the soba making tools from the kitchen:

Last week, I was chatting with my ramen friend from Kanagawa and we argued over where the best soba shop is in the Kanto area. My friend said: "Oh, the best one is in Chiba. I'll take you." I said: "No way. The best soba is in Nakano. We'll go to both shops, and have a battle over which is best!" Hahaha.

 I am already looking forward to the soba battle blog post...^_^

Nakano is *almost* as good as Ochanomizu in Tokyo. Please visit! To get there: Tokyo Metro Tozei line to the last station, Nakano. Station info HERE. (日本語 & English). Nakano City office info HERE.  (日本語 & English) Nakano Broadway is recommended to visit while there. It's the place for shopping...especially if you love Japanese anime and models. Website HERE. [日本語だけ]


ATT bmさん:
The Maruzen in Ochanomizu is HERE. Enjoy.

冬のソナタ 東京! #5 | Winter Sonata Tokyo

I met up with a Canadian friend I knew in Bangkok, but had recently moved to Tokyo. While living in BKK, I gave him a lot of advice and information about moving to Japan. It was good to see how he was doing and hear his news.
We went to a pasta shop first...

My plate:

We talked for a looooong time about everything....how different Bangkok is and how awesome life in Tokyo is. ^_^ He asked for some help buying a train ticket, so we went off to Yurakucho to seek out a JTB (travel agency) office. I spoke with the lady there and success! We could reserve his ticket easily.

After that, we both had some free time, so I suggested going to a train cafe. I had been before, back in September. You can see that post HERE.

I learned something new about my friend -- he is a big train fan too! We talked about many kinds of train museums that we have visited, or hope to visit in the future. One train museum he taught me was this miniature train park in Cologne Germany. Watch the video!!

Cool eh? ^_^
I am going to visit...first blog fan Corgi in Berlin, then to Cologne to see these cool trains.

Later in the week, he and his Thai girlfriend invited me out for dinner. I made reservations at an Alice in Wonderland themed restaurant...which his girlfriend really enjoyed. Yay! ^_^ Come back in a few days to see that post!

My friend is Anthony Joh. He's from Vancouver, Canada, but has lived in Germany, Thailand and now, Japan.  He is running a very successful podcast out of Tokyo called...Tokyo Podcast. On his show, he interviews many interesting people from a variety of backgrounds. All episodes are in English. Please visit his website HERE. 

冬のソナタ 東京! #３ | Winter Sonata Tokyo

Day 3 arrived and the skies were sunny & clear, but cold.

I was planning to go to a planetarium on this day, but the weather was nice, and a friend suggested walking around the famous tourist spot, Asakusa -- a temple/ shopping district in Tokyo. The last time I visited, the temple was being renovated and completely covered; this time, I could see everything. Lucky! ^_^

I saw the famous gate (the kanji character means "lighting"):

...and got a photo at the pagoda:

I stopped to enjoy some dried fruits at this stand:

Here, while munching, an old Japanese guy asked me in Japanese: "Do you know what that is?" and then proceeded to tell me his life story. @_@ I am not sure why, but wherever I go in Japan, people always talk to me. I think it's either my smile, my blonde hair or the fact that I can speak Japanese. (shrug)

I walked around some more and enjoyed looking at these....

...outdoor food stalls. We have these in Bangkok too. I think it's amusing that even in cold weather, Japanese people enjoy sitting outside, eating and drinking. I like this culture very much.

Culture point: These red lanterns are hung outside of restaurants in Japan...it means alcohol is served at the shop.

After exiting Asakusa, I happened across this...

...a Taiko shop! Taiko is word for a traditional Japanese drum. The sound is quite loud and these drums are a common scene at festivals. I've always wanted to study because I love drums. ^_^

Later in the evening, I met a fan of my blog for dinner and to enjoy the lunar eclipse. We went to a restaurant on the 53F in Shinjuku. Check out the view!

A little bit of cutenekko history:

One year ago, at this time, I got dumped by a guy. I was quite upset, so I wanted to replace that bad memory with a nicer one. That's why I wanted to enjoy a gorgeous view -- to forget the past and celebrate all the positive things that have happened to me since. It worked. ^_^

After eating, we went outside to watch the last of the lunar eclipse....

The moon...

It was freezing cold, but I held on to the end to watch. This was a great day. ^_^

Asakusa temple is located in Asakusa. Access: Tokyo Metro to Asakusa station (Ginza or Asakusa lines).

The restaurant with the nice view was called "Dining Out". Location: Shinjuku Center Building, 53F. Website: http://r.gnavi.co.jp/g640000/