I'm a web editor from Singapore living in Tokyo. I'm building websites for a living as a writer on the go. I worked in print media for six years until I moved countries and used the Internet as a way to have a viable, mobile career. The Internet is a fascinating space and I never thought I would ever morph into a web chick - but here I am.
...The ups and downs of expat life, trailing partner issues, food, travel, and Japanese culture. It's a way to keep in touch with friends back home and all over the world, plus it's a corner for me to showcase my work. But really, I'm just a restless spirit looking for great adventures and fabulous food.
The kangaroo ordered two picnic table sets on Monday night from Amazon Japan (which I highly recommend for cheap English books and household solutions) and they arrived last night.
To get ready for our housewarming this Saturday, he put on his carpenter hat and hammered everything together.
One thing that took me awhile to get into was the dangly phone accessory that always hangs from every Japanese person’s keitai (mobile phone). In Singapore, it had an adolescent image that includes our subculture of ah lians (Singapore’s version of the Shibuya gyaru or “gal”). In Japan, even men have at least one attached to their phones — usually designer brand name tags or anime characters or something comical and quirky.
Introducing my latest workout buddy…Billy Blanks! It’s so cheesy, I know, but a lot of women swear by this kick-boxing aerobic and ab routine. Even more embarrassing is that this was THE exercise DVD of the year in 2007 — I sure took a long time to check this out. I used to chuckle over the fact that this ex-military dude could get so many sedentary Japanese women off their butt to do killer stomach crunches in their living rooms.
So my bestie came to visit all the way from New York and I think I was more excited than her to go clubbing. I love having a quieter, more orderly lifestyle now, as compared to my crazy hectic days in Singapore (which I may blog about one day), but sometimes I do crave breaking my good-girl habits.
There has been a quiet tussle over the air-conditioning in the office and I am working from home until I come up with a firm strategy and feel less annoyed. I love the apartment but there is a fussy crying baby whom I cannot tolerate either.
I think it is one cultural difference that I cannot accommodate — much like Japanese curry, which is something I cannot stomach.
*Warning: shufu (housewife) talk in this blog entry*
There are many foreign food stores in Tokyo but Nissin World Delicatessen in Azabu Juban stands out with its reasonable prices on non-Japanese goods, compared to gourmet-only outfits like Kinokuniya and YamaYa.
Though Nissin is generally pricier than your average Japanese supermarket, you can find some things that are comparable or even cheaper — you just need to know your shit. For those who have a car and a family, the Wal-Mart-like Costco in Chiba and Yokohama could be a great cost effective solution but I heard you need to be invited by a member.
Since I love food and cooking, supermarket shopping is also something I find fun. I’ve been wandering around the various grocery stores in Akasaka for over a year and a half now so I know their products and pricings intimately.
The one thing I don’t get excited about is that I have to carry my shopping booty all the way home which is a good 15 to 20 minutes walk which involves five minutes of steep hill right at the end.
Honestly, I had never heard of Dutch military-inspired designer label, G-Star, until one of my gal pals got an invite to a recent sample sale at Bell Commons. I was intimidated by their website and looked like they had expensive, uber-cool togs so I just assumed that even at sale price, I wouldn’t be able to afford anything.
But my friend assured me that you could buy jeans for as little as JPY2,000 (SGD26) but the original price is JPY20,000 (SGD260). In a heartbeat, I changed my mind.
Nugget potato (minced chicken nuggets and potato wedges) with hot sauce.
Sometimes it’s easy to just focus on the bad and the weird in Japan. For instance, there was a guy who for no reason cut up his female neighbour into pieces and flushed them down the loo, or the guy who screamed at me in the Tokyo Met pool, or quirks like the popularity of maid cafes.
Japan is the fifth safest nation in the world and it has one of the nicest and most honest people on the planet.
There is one product that always gets my Singaporean friends and family really interested — Meiji amino collagen (5,000mg). – Click here to go to Beauty Box!
The picture above is an anti-nausea medicine that comes in powder sachets. It is recommended for those suffering from colds, fever, sore throats and vomiting. I am amazed that there is such a multi-purpose medicine — almost a cure-all.
