Adventures of Peach

Today's Work

2007-06-12T01:16:00.000+09:00

I baked this bread today.
Cooking or baking with friends is my favorite time of day.

Karuizawa

2007-06-10T01:07:00.000+09:00

I took a one-day trip to 'Karuizawa', which is a famous town as people spend their summer coolly.
I heard that John Lennon loved to stay here with his family on vacation.

THai Cuisine

2007-05-31T01:06:00.000+09:00

It's called "GAPAO rice".

'Kushiage' Restaurant

2007-05-15T00:46:00.000+09:00

I had a farewell party for my coworker at this restaurant.
I really loved this building and atmospher.

Smiley Hamburg Steak

2007-05-03T13:49:00.000+09:00

I cooked it with my friend.
Look! The rice is smiling at you!
Recently, I've been attending a cooking school to learn various recipes and how to bake bread.

hanami

2007-04-23T22:22:00.000+09:00

on March 31st, at the Shinjuku Gyoen Park

on March 6th, at the gate of the Ueno Park

When I'd just come back from Shanghai, I came across to see the first Sakura of this year.

Shanghai

2007-03-07T22:20:00.000+09:00

I've just came back from "the city".
I was longing to go there.
I'm studying the language spoken there.
Tom Cruise was hanging and swinging between skyscrapers there in MI3.

Can you guess where "the city" is?

Before Shanghai　'07 March 2

I felt a chill while I was working in the office and I found I had a slight fever.
I went to see a doctor and he diagnosed me as having a cold.

I hardly ever have a fever even if I catch a terrible cold, so I was afraid it was caused by the flu.
I’m going to Shanghai this weekend. If I have a fever, I won’t be allowed to depart from Narita airport.
I asked the doctor to do an examination and give me some medicine for the flu but he didn’t accept my idea because my symptoms weren’t appropriate to the flu.
I also told him that I was vaccinated against the flu last autumn and it made my symptoms mild.
He explained to me thoroughly why he didn’t prescribe a flu medicine.

Recently, it is said that an antiviral drug called “Tamiflu”, which is used in the treatment and prophylaxis of flu, is very dangerous for young people as it can cause abnormal behavior.

He didn’t want to take the risk and only gave me some antifebriles and anti-inflammatories. It stuck in my throat but I went home.

This morning when I woke up, I found he was right. Thanks to his diagnosis and enough sleep, my temperature has dropped now. I can go to Shanghai.

I really appreciate it! Thanks, Doctor!

New Year Resolution

2007-01-05T00:06:00.000+09:00

Dearest Everyone!!

Happy happy New Year!!!!!!

How have you been?

Well, do you wanna know my New Year resolution?

To tell you the truth......
I'm gonna study to be a local tour guide of Japan. I need to learn not only foreign languages but about Japanese culture, economy and history. I'll do my best, so someday if you come to Japan, I'll be your guide.
Please look forward to seeing around Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka with me and having delicious Sushi!!

Hong Kong "Eat! Eat! Eat!"

2006-11-07T23:02:00.000+09:00

Hi! How are you doing?
I'm sorry that I couldn't write for a while.

Well, I show some photos I took in Hong Kong.

As you know Hong Kong consists of 3 parts; Hong Kong island which is a very livery business centre, Kowloon which is very traditional and New Territories.

Hong Kong Island ; a livery business centres

Kowloon

Our theme of this trip was "eat! eat! eat!".
Actually, we kept eating all day long.
For example;
-morning:moodles, rice porridge
-lunch:dim sum
-afternoon tea
-dinner: Shanghai cuisine, Cantonese cuisine

Piles of dim sum!
In Cantonese and Japanese, we call dim sum "yum cha" maybe because they are very yummy.

egg tarts:
They weren't as sweet as I expected. I was a little disappointed:-( boo!
I prefer Macao ones, which are slightly sweet with delicious caramel sauce.

I didn't go but some of my friends went to Macao as an option.
Macao is a beautiful city which is a World Heritage Site and is also famous as a casino place.
How colorful, isn't it?

Motherboard Problem

2006-10-12T20:06:00.000+09:00

My PC has another problem, so I sent it to its factory to have it fixed.
It takes about 410 US dollars to change to new motherboard. How expensive!!!!!

By the way, I'm just back from Hong Kong. I took some photos, so I'll show some of my "works" when my PC is fixed; maybe this weekend or next week.

LOST

2006-08-16T20:10:00.000+09:00

I'm watching "Lost" season1 on DVD.
It's so interesting that I can't stop watching it.

I especially like the couple from South Korea. They only spoke the Korean language at first.

The actor who's playing the Korean husband looks familiar to me.
I suppose that he acted "agient Baker" in 24.
And didn't he appear at the beginning of "Spiderman1"?

I'll continue watching it!
See you!

Burning Sunset

2006-08-09T22:37:00.000+09:00

It was a fiery suset.
It looks abnormal, doesn't it?

....like aliens are coming
....or a big fire is happening there.

Actually there was no fire and alien.

I think it was because of approach of a typhoon No.7.

Gyuu Tan! Tan!

2006-08-09T22:35:00.000+09:00

Grilled beef tongue called "Gyuu Tan" is very popular in Japan. Sendai-city is famous for Gyuu Tan. This is my lunch which were sooooo delicious!

My Wish

2006-08-09T22:20:00.001+09:00

Seeing Star Festival was the biggest purpose of this trip.

It was the first time for me.
There were a lot of colorful decorations.

We write down our wishes on small pieces of paper, then bind them on bamboo trees.

Of course, I made a wish
Do you want to know?

I wish...
I'll improve my foreign languages skills a lot and I'll have neat handwriting.

My handwriting isn't that good. You can see it on this site.

Baseball Balloons

2006-08-09T22:04:00.000+09:00

We went to see a baseballgame.

And my friend bought balloons.

We blew up them and...

flew them into the sky!!!!!

Have A Break!

2006-08-09T21:48:00.000+09:00

It was a scorcher!
So we took a break at a Japanese outdoor cafe near a temple.

Chilled green tea.

Rice cakes with green soybeans paste on top.

This green paste is called Zunda which is very common in Sendai-city.

I really love this Japanese sweet!
VERY YUMMY!

Feed The Birds

2006-08-09T21:34:00.000+09:00

I went to Sendai which is my ex-coworker's hometown.

We went on a cruise and fed Japanese gulls called "Umineko".

Umi means sea, and neko means cats. We call them "Sea Cats" because they chatter ...

"meow! meow!"

herb

2006-08-03T22:11:00.000+09:00

I'm raising herbs on my veranda.
It's like my tiny little garden.

You can see what they are: one is basil and the other is mint.
(this photo is of basil. Upload a photo of mint doesn't go well because of a server problem.)

Whenever I water them, they smell very nice and I imagine myself cooking tomato spaghetti with fresh basil.

It's one of the most relaxing time of day.

a day trip

2006-07-18T22:13:00.000+09:00

Yesterday was a holiday, so my friend and I went to a hot spring. It was a day trip.

We took the outdoor bath.

From the spa, we could see green mountains feeling a lovely cool breeze.

After bathing, we had foot massages.
Mmmmmm....very comfortable.

Some hotel offers a bath for doggies.

He's saying, "ohhhh, heavenly!!"
He looks so comfortable, doesn't he?

Doggies like bathing?
My cat hated, so whenever she took a bath, she made a wry face and looked uncomfortable

"meooooow!" :-(

your camera

2006-07-12T00:35:00.000+09:00

I'm very curious to know what kind of camera you are using? And how many cameras do you have?

My previous digital camera has been broken.
I'm just wondering if I should get new one...but I'm sitll thinking what camere I should buy?

Questions
#1 How many cameras do you have right now?
#2 Are you using a single-lens reflex?
#3 What brand of camera are you using?
#4 If you have the photo of your camera, I want to see it. Is it possible?

Baton?

2006-07-07T02:20:00.000+09:00

Piccola gave me some themes to post. This system is called Baton.
I've once came across Baton on Erika's blog written in Japanese.
Okay, I'll write.

[1, What is your name?]
Handle: Peach
Japanese nick name: Pi-chan
Chinese name:chongzu
Japanese name: **secret** which means smart child

[2, What did you eat last night for your supper?]
Boiled eggs

[3, What is your job?]
A pharmacist working for a pharmaceutical company

[4, What do you like to do?]
Blogging, chatting, eating, studying languages, listening to music etc anything enjoyable!

[5, What is you favorite type?]
Someone who's kind and reliable

[6, What is your special ability?]
Having entusiasm to learn.

[7, Do you have any license or qualification?]
Driver's licence. Pharmacist licence. Kimono teacher licence. Japanese tea ceremony licence.

[8, Do you have concerns?]
A little.

[9. What is your favorite food and dislike food?]
I love paella, pao de quejo, green curry, Chinese noodles, spaghetti, potato salad, sweets etc.
I hate just one food called Kusaya which is one of the worst smelly food.

[10. Say a word for person you love]
Te quiera muchicimo. Wo ai ni.
It's very embarrassing for me to say "I love you" in Japanese.

[11, Write 5 people you want to give this baton message]
Scott, Erin, Erika, Rabenstrange, Chocobo, Tary, Mickey, Dblk(I repay you), Hana.....if it's ok with you, please receive the baton from me.

I know some people don't like this kind of game but Baton shows the writer's personality that I haven't noticed yet. I like that discovery.

Portuguese Cuisine

2006-07-05T22:06:00.000+09:00

I went to a Portuguese restaurant with my friends.

We, once a few months, go out to have dinner from various countries. We've already had Okinawan(southern Japan), Indian, Rumanian foods.

It's our rule never to say "I can't eat" even though restaurants serve something which doesn't suit our palate; too spicy, strong smell etc. Meeting new taste is an exciting adventure! Don't you think so?
We are planning to complete "a cuisine travel around the world" while we are staying in Japan.
Next country might be Morocco ^_^

All of us really liked Portuguese cuisine! It's very delicious! I think Japanese people love this kind of tase as same as Spanish dishes.
Before this restaurant, I'd never eaten Portuguese food 'cause it's not common here in Tokyo.

Is it common in your place?

..and I have one more question about food.
Do you know
arroz cubano (Cuban rice)?
Have you ever had it?
Is it yummy?
I heard about it on the radio this morning.

Well, let me show you what we ate at the restaurant.
Cataplana(very delicious soup!!!)

Bolinho de bacalhau(croquettes of cod...my best!!!!)

Pao de quejo ( cheesy buns....mouth watering!!!)

Pasteis de Nata (a Portuguese egg tart.....heavenly!!!!!)

mmmmmmmm...yummy.

blogs for practice

2006-07-02T21:08:00.000+09:00

I've opened new blogs in Mandarin and Spanish.

It's from Bernat, Fabi and Piccola 's ideas.

Please visit 桃花的冒险(my Chinese blog) and La aventura de Melocotón(my Spanish blog)
...and break the code what I wrote ^___^

Nihao!! and Hola!!!

Japanglish

2006-06-30T00:24:00.000+09:00

I had a good opportunity to listen to a lecture by a linguist who is working for The National Institute for Japanese Language. He is an expert of various Japanese; accurate Japanese, words of foreign origin, honorific, dialect etc.
Today's point of the lecture was how medical staff should communicate with patients who don't use medical terms.
It was surely interesting.

During the lecture, I remembered that the institute suggested how to paraphrase words of foreign origin called Gairai-go.
Parhaps you've already known that we've adopted lots of words from foreign languges and use them in daily conversation.
Let me show you some examples with clues.
Can you guess what they mean?

From English
chokoreeto (is sweet)
koohii (is bitter)
basu (to take to go to somewhere)
terebi ( do you watch?)
raihu sutairu ( I'm very interested in your ..)
toraburu (what happened!?)
depaato (I went shopping)
botan (press, fasten, undo)

From Spanish or Portuguese
pan ( for breakfast)
koruku (wine bottles have...)

From German
arubaito (to earn money..)
karute ( square-shaped)
wakuchin ( to guard against infection)

We still keep adopting foreign languages and some of them, especially economic terms and IT terms , are impossible to understand without Google.

Surprisingly, the linguist didn't deny Gairai-go. He also said that Gairai-go can make sentences sound soft and easy to understand by women and young people.

That makes sense.

result

2006-06-25T01:51:00.000+09:00

My Chinese examination is getting harder and harder.
Today I only got a mark of 63/100. It's embarrassing.
Our teacher was really worried about our enthusiam. Because she said we looked very disappointed just after the exam. For me, there is no problem.
I tend to be too nervous before exam but I'm optimistic about the result.

But I noticed that I had to change my style.
Do you want to know my new strategy to improve my Chinese skills?

I'm going to take other 30-minute one-to-one lessons besides weekly class lessons.
Fortunatelly, my school offers that kind of lessons which is called "a pronunciation clinic". International students from China teach us as their part time jobs.
We can ask them about prununciation, how to say and anything we want. In stead of their lessons, we can also take 30-minute practice examinations.

Well....*sigh* Chinese pronunciation is TOO difficult for us.
I think Japanese is one of the easiest languages to pronounce, so if you are interested in Japanese, please try to learn convasational short phrases at first. You could improve fast and it must be enjoyable and actually useful.
It's just my opinion but.........I bet!

her name?

2006-06-23T22:13:00.000+09:00

Thanks, everyone!
My parents came to see the baby from our hometown today, then they finally met her.

I was asked about her name ;) , so I asked it to my brother.
He said that he had almost decided her name which is including "flower".

That sounds cute, doesn't that?

Well, I have another examinaton tomorrow.
It's a Chinese examination.

After that, our classmates and I are gonna have a "Beijing Ducks Party".
Our previous teacher and current teacher are also coming.
I can't wait!

niece

2006-06-22T02:44:00.000+09:00

I've become an aunt this morning.
It means my brother's daughter has been born.

All my family are so happy.
Yay! Yay! Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!!!!

The game has started!

2006-06-18T22:13:00.000+09:00

The Japan vs. Croatia football game has started.
I'm watchig it on TV at home!!
Go!Go! Now! Shunsuke!

I can't move from here....

Well, it looks so hot and Team Japan looks in a hurry.
The commentator is worried whether Japanese players can keep their stamina in 90 minutes.
I'm worryng, too.

PK? What happened!!?? No way!
Ohhhh, good job, Kawaguchi..
Well, I'll concentrate on the game.

Juanes

2006-06-15T19:44:00.000+09:00

He's cool, isn't he?
Is he so popular also in your country?

I'm studying Spanish on the radio almost every morning, and on TV every Thursday night.
At each lesson, both teachers show me popular songs sung in Spanish. Sometimes they choose old-fashioned music , like Julio Iglesias who my mother really liked, but last Thursday's song was "La Camisa Negra" by Juanes from Colombia.
I liked it instantly. I was captivated by its rhythm and his cool voice.
To be honest, at that time, I didn't know how popular he was all over the world.

It's fun to sing with him and wonder what they mean.
I just understand the meaning of "tengo la camisa negra (I have the black shirt)".
The rest of the lyrics? I dunno!

......yet.

Genki!

2006-06-14T21:16:00.000+09:00

Thanks to YOUR advice, I'm "genki" now!

I keenly realized that getting enough sleep is very important to keep myself healty.
I swear not to stay up late anymore to watch "Prison Break"!!!!!!

It was a kind of addictions. Please be careful everyone!! It's much more dangerous and interesting than "24".

please...

2006-06-11T20:40:00.000+09:00

don't ask me anything about the examination.

I'm going to study constantly from now on.

I'm afraid I've caught a cold again because of this changeable weather.
I have a sore throat...

exam

2006-06-11T02:57:00.000+09:00

Today I have an examination.
I haven't studied enough...

I wish the examination will finish soon.

Good night.

kiss on where?

2006-06-10T22:45:00.000+09:00

I'll add the information of my last post "Salsa".

My friend meant "kiss on the mouth".

Don't you think it's "!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"?

Well, what do you think?

Salsa

2006-06-08T23:05:00.000+09:00

Do you dance salsa? Or have you danced salsa?

I'm now very interested in the latin dance. My colleague and I are planning to join a dancing school where my friend is practicing every Saturday.

I asked another friend who had once been in a salsa school. She really liked it but her exboyfriend asked her to stop it 'cause, you know, salsa is one of the most passionate dances that a woman and a guy dance very close together.

She said, "be careful, Peach" and told us one surprising thing: after practicing, they had "free time" to just enjoy dancing to latin music. Some of latin dancers suddenly kissed her while they were dancing. It's weird in Japan but perhaps, it might be natural for them. So she had to dodge it whenever "kiss attack" started.

Scary ( =_= )
I didn't know such a dangerous style!!!

Ajisai

2006-06-01T00:49:00.000+09:00

Hydrangeas are called "Ajisai" in Japanese.
We can see them in June, the rainy season.

The photo looks beautiful, doesn't it?

Ajisai is one of our pleasurs in this maggy and dismal weather.

"Ajisai Dera"(Hydrangea Temple) in Kamakura is a popular place to enjoy a nice hydrangea garden.
It's not that far from here. I think it takes about 1 hour from my house.
I'm planning to visit there.

In my opinion, hydrangeas look like rain drops.
Don't you think so?

Adios, May!

2006-05-31T00:28:00.000+09:00

May is almost over.

June, a rainy season, is coming.

Usually, May is supposed to be a super comfortable season; sunny, breezing, birds are singing, not too hot, not too chilly and everything is shining light green.
But this year, there weren't fine days as many as always. It's kinda weird.

Well, have I finished preparing for the rany season?

Attitude; Good
A new umbrella; OK.
Cleaning my room; almost OK
Having hair cut;not yet
New rain shoes;not okay ^__^!

I gotta go to get water proof shoes.
Adios, everyone!

Tummy Button Thieves

2006-05-25T01:43:00.000+09:00

On my way home, I was caught in a big downpour and saw some lightnings which were very bright and vivid. So all the people there were shocked ,"oh!"
and almost talked to each other like "Did you see that? Perhaps it might hit somewhere very close from here, don't you think so?"

Whenever it thundered, my mom asked me to hide my navel because 'Mr. Thunder' were going to stole my belly button. Now I know it's just a made-up story. But I'm not sure why Japanese mothers say so? It might be to keep kids' bellies warm for their health.

Did your mother tell you a similar story?
The idea that "thunders would stole your navels" is an international standard?

How about in your country?

The Da Vinci Code

2006-05-23T22:30:00.000+09:00

I went to see "DaVinci Code" today. It was pretty interesting.

I read the novel in English, so it was hard to imagine each scenes in Louvre, a park, a rich guy's house and some churches.
But the movie showed me them perfectly and clearly.

The Louvre pyramid looked beautiful and fantastic. Actually, my first travelling abroad was to Paris. The movie also reminded me of it.

My computer has recovered!

2006-05-21T17:42:00.000+09:00

I called the help desk and got some advice. As I followed it, I reinstalled Windows.
Now I can surf internet freely....yay!yay! I'm so happy ^__^

From Manga Cafe

2006-05-14T18:51:00.001+09:00

I uninstalled a few softwares to clean up my PC, then suddenly my PC doesn't work well.
I'm writing this post from Comic Books Cafe where I can read comic books and use internet.

It costs about 3dollors an hour and you can read comic books as many as you like.
It looks like a library and you can get soft drinks for free.

I think "Internet Cafes" are common in your countries, right?
Are there any "Manga Cafe" around your house?

"Prison Break"

2006-05-06T23:33:00.000+09:00

Have you ever watched an American TV drama called "Prison Break"?
I'm watching its premiere on the internet.
The DVDs will be released here in Japan very soon, so a Japanese internet TV company is providing the first episode for free.

Maybe as you know, the outline is like..
A guy was arrested and sentenced to death because of a false accusation.
His younger brother who is an IQ200 architect comitted a bank robbery to enter the prison. Now he is struggling to break the prison to get his brother out.
I've realized why the guy looked so confident about it.

He said, "I designed this prison...."

He has a big tatoo all his body that shows the blue prints of the prison.
It's getting more interesting!!

And I heard it's as popular as "24" now in the States.
Is it right?
Should I get/rent the DVDs?

Please give me some advice ^___^

Email Exam;about Kyoto

2006-05-03T02:03:00.000+09:00

Today I started working on a text book to take an English examination in June. The exam has a free writing part.
It's pretty interesting: Read an email from your friend "Chris" from overseas, then write appropriate response to him and it should be around 100 words in lenght.

Let's see the question email.
"Dear Naomi (please imagine you're Naomi),
I'm so excited because in a week I'll be in Japan, so please be sure to meet me at the airport, ok?
I'm also interested in Kyoto. Can I see real Samurai or Ninja there? Can you tell me something about Kyoto, please?
Best wishes, Chris" ....I like Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Confessional:P

I gave it a try but I think my email was too casual, so I need a training to get enough points from markers.

Actually, Kyoto is worth visiting.
Kyoto used to be a capital of Japan. It has a lot of shrines, temples and old buildings, so you can experience the traditional atmosphere of Japan there.

I think I've visited there 6 or 7 times or so. It's still an amazing place for me.

As you know, there are no more Samurai and Ninja now but if you are lucky, you might see real Geisya on their ways to work, or some actors playing Samurai/ Ninja in a famous movie studio.

Well, I have to get back to work...it's not a real work. I'm arraging my ipod music list using an Excel file. I've discovered it this morning.
Ohhhh, it's very convenient!

Fortune Telling Slips

2006-05-03T01:18:00.000+09:00

I went to a famous Onsen(hot spring) area called Hakone yesterday.
Before Onsen, I went to a shrine.
At a shrine, we usually do 2 things.
Pray and then draw a fortune telling slip called Omikuji.

Of course I drew one.
Do you want to know what my slip told me?

It adviced me very strictly ...like "you'll find your missing article soon, but it's useless (what!!!??)" , "if you are still idle, you'll spoil your life, so study hard." It's too strict, isn't it?

But I think it's kinda right. Recently I couldn't spend enough time on studying because of a cold even though I'm going to take an English examination in June.
I swear to begin preparing for it from tomorrow.
huwaaaaaaa, I'm so sleepy now.
Good night, guys:D

Golden Week

2006-04-29T15:13:00.000+09:00

Today is a day-off, tomorrow is the same, the day after tomorrow is also a holiday......
This year, April 29 to May 7 is a holiday week called "Golden Week".
It's cloudy outside but looks shining because of Golden Week!!!
I don't have to go to work!!!! (Am I lazy?)

This week, I want to read lots of books that I bought yesterday, watch DVDs, go see movies, go to Onsen(a hot spring) studying languges.
Can I ever do so many things? I don't know but I'm soooooo happy and excited.
Well, first thing to do is go to my favorite cafe and sip afternoon coffee.

See you!

Have you ever...?

2006-04-28T02:06:00.000+09:00

I went to my Mandarin school today and studied how to ask somebody's experiences like "have you ever ...?".
I REALLY enjoyed the lesson.
The key phrases are also useful to communicate with people to get to know each other.

Have you ever come to Japan?
Have you ever eaten Japanese food?
Have you ever seen Kitano movies?
Have you ever studied Japanese?
Have you ever taught your native tongue to your friends?
Have you ever studied "have you ever"?

Very interesting, isn't it?

10 of life's simple pleasures

2006-04-25T20:21:00.000+09:00

I was suffering from a bad cold so I haven't come here for about a whole week.
Today I noticed that I had been tagged by Erin!
Okay, I'll write about 10 of life's simple pleasures.
I think writing and reading meme are interesting but it's hard to find 5 or more people who haven't been tagged yet. Don't you think so?

Well, let me see ......my 10 pleasures.
1 Friends. I mean real friends and super famous American TV drama series.
2 Studying languages. Now I'm studying English, Spanish, Mandarin(standard Chinese) and Italian. I can't speak well but it's enjoyable. If you are interested in Nihongo(Japanese) , please tell me!
3 Writhing blog and keeping in touch with bloggers.
4 MSN messenger
5 Traveling
6 Train. I love taking trains enjoying landscape and music with my i-pod.
7 Fengshui. It's from China and is my most favorite thing in my life! Have you heard it? Is it common in your country?
8 Starbucks. I really like spending time there..sipping sweet drinks, studying languages, reading books etc.
9 Massage.
10 Strolling in the early morning. Tokyo has nice places to look around.

I'm gonna go to find ten people.
Adios!

A Mysterious Pond

2006-04-18T00:23:00.000+09:00

I found "Blue Lake" was smaller than a lake and the color was darker than blue.
Hmmm...it's hard to show how the pond looked mysterious...but please just look.
What do you think? How do you feel?

All ponds there but this one were green.
It was dark indigo blue and very clear. We could see some trees sunk on the bottom of it.
Scientists haven't solved the reason why the water looks so blue.
It's still a mystery.

My sister had a nice camera.
Today she's posted lots of lots of Hana's photos.

Well, I also enjoyed my train trip.
My favorite view was this one from my train window.

It's Japan Sea located in west of Japan, so the sun sets into it beautifully everyday..
....like this

Blue Lake

2006-04-11T23:23:00.000+09:00

Do you like blue?

I'm going to have a short vacation this weekend to go see a lake located in northern Japan.

The lake is called "Ao ike" which means "Blue Lake".
I heard that it's VERY bule like indigo blue ink. Can you believe that?
I'm so curious to know whether it's true or not.
Besides, it's one of the world heritages. It must be nice!

I'll take photos!

green green green

2006-03-30T23:12:00.000+09:00

My sister mentioned Starbucks Spring Menu "Matcha Tea Latte".
It means "Green Tea with Milk".

I drank it today. Let me show you my cup. It's too green, isn't it?
It's tasty but I think it's kinda strong with caffein. I sometimes can't fall asleep after I drink it.

At Starbucks, I spent 1 hour on reading a new book about real estate.
It's pretty interesting.
I'm serious xD

Sakura

2006-03-30T22:15:00.000+09:00

The cherry blossoms are in full bloom!
I'm going to have a "Hanami" party this Sunday.

How To Pronounce "Squirrel".

2006-03-30T01:36:00.000+09:00

I've just come back from my teacher's blog, "mountain breeze", which is about his new life in montain lands.
I came across nice photos of amazing creatures living there.
My favorite one is squirrel called "Risu" in Japanese.

It reminded me of my trip to a small zoo.
Let me show you some photos that I took in 2004.

At that time, "squirrel" was my brand-new vocabulary(!) and I couldn't pronounce it well.
I practiced "squirrel" again and again and again and again......, then I mastered it.
How adorable they are, aren't they?

Mr. Bushy-tail, say cheese!

He was hiding his food, but just after that another one came and digged it out.

Rambling in Roma

2006-03-25T00:50:00.000+09:00

I got a map of Roma.
Dblk's blog ("A different tour of Roma" with nice photos and mysterious legends) is explaining about a famous church in Roma called "St. Maria Maggiore" and I was interested in the location.

(photo1)
What I'm pointing at is the church that Dblk mentioned.

(photo2)
Do you know you can see satellite photos all over the world on "Google Local"?
I'm looking at the satellite photo of Roma.

Can you see the winding river?
It is "Fiume Tevere" passing by the Vatican.

It's kinda strange but I'm feeling as if I'm strolling in Roma.

I'm curious to see your favorite places, so please tell me if you have somewhere to recommend to me!! :D please!!

Tulips

2006-03-23T00:43:00.000+09:00

I went for dinner with my female friend that I haven't seen for a while.

We had a really great time to catch up with each other.

On the way home, I found a lot of tulips blooming beautifully...

Do you like them?

Plum Festival

2006-03-22T01:52:00.000+09:00

I went to see plum flowers in Tsukuba mountain.
They smelled so sweet as roses.
Let me show you a photo.
It looks pretty nice, doesn't it?

Japan won!

2006-03-21T16:57:00.000+09:00

I'm watching baseball news on TV.
Team Japan was playing in the finals with Cuba and has become a champion of World Baseball Classic!
I heard Cuba was strong, so I thought it wasn't that easy to win.

Ichiro looks so excited. He said, "this is the best day ever!"
I'm happy, too :D waaaaaaay

WBC

2006-03-15T22:53:00.000+09:00

Do you like watching baseball games? Me? To tell you the truth, usually I'm not interested in sports so much.
But recently, I'm so excited about WBC games.

Unbelievably, Team Korea is very strong so far.
Japan went on to a 6-1 victory over Mexico today. Nobody can see which team will win. Wooooooo!!! It's so exciting, isn't it?

I'm hoping Japan will be able to play Team America again.

Big Egg

2006-03-07T23:15:00.000+09:00

Look! It's Big Egg, which is my favorite place in Tokyo!
Big Egg is a nickname for TOKYO DOME, so it's impossible to eat it even though you're starving :P

Actually it's a big baseball stadium located next to an amusement park, a spa, a bowlling place and a skating rink. It's very lively and is always crowded with families and couples.

Matsui (New York Yankees) and Ichiro (Siattle Mariners) used to play here.

It's so huge that it is also used as a measure of HUGE things.
For exampple,

TV show : This jungle is SO big! Can you imagine the area is 100 times of Big Egg!!!!!

We: Really!? 100 of Tokyo Dome!!!! Wow, I can't imagine!!!

Too small for you? :D

Sakura Mont Blanc

2006-03-07T00:56:00.000+09:00

I bought a chestnut cake today.
Can you see it's kinda pink. This cake might be shy?!

It's a "cherryblossom mont-blank".
Spring has come!

My Sister

2006-03-04T20:38:00.000+09:00

I'm helping my sister open her blog.
Well, everyone! Let me introduce her.

"Hi! Nice to meet you! I'm Peach's sister, Hana. I like meeting new people. See you soon! Matane! :D"

She is so interested in starting her blog in English.

What do you think?

P.S. She's done. Please check it out.---> Hana's Blog

Financial Literacy

2006-03-02T01:22:00.000+09:00

I studied how to read financial data. I don't mean I'm going to start trading stocks immediately. I just wanted to be smart about it.

I'm working everyday to earn money and I've been wasting money to buy things for several years.
Now I think I have to study and know more about money.

My friend explained me about financial terms, for example, ROA, ROE, PBR PER, CF very patiently for about 2 or 3hours!!! ( Oooooooooh, do the terms sound difficult, don't they?? )

I really appreciate it.
I promised to stand him a dinner if I gain a lot...someday ^___^

Hot Yoga

2006-03-02T01:13:00.000+09:00

Have you ever heard "Hot Yoga"?
I think it's from America and is now "hot" in Japan.

I tried it with my friends yesterday.
We drank water first and did yoga in a humid room. While we were doing yoga, we sweated alot!

Actually I drank 1.5 ml(!) of water in a 70-minute class.
All of us liked it! We really refreshed! Perhaps you don't believe but it was so comfortable!!

What do you think?
Do you wanna do it? Don't you like exercising in a humid room?

The WOW-choten Hotel

2006-03-02T01:06:00.000+09:00

I went to see a Japanese movie called "The WOW-choten Hotel" with my friend.

It's comedy and was so hiralious!!!!!!!
The script writer "Kouki Mitani" is so famous and popular in Japan.
All of his works are really intersting and funny.

If you have a chance to find DVDs of his movies, please check it out.

She won gold!!!!

2006-02-26T19:29:00.000+09:00

A Japanese figure skater, Shizuka Arakawa won the gold medal!!!
Her skating is fascinating. I believe it's ART.
I especially love her "Ina Bauer"
--->http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/photospecials/graph/0602turinday14/2.html

Actually "Ina Bauer" isn't profitable AT ALL, so she sealed it up in the last competition that she really had to get the ticket to Olympic.

But she finally decided to perform it in the final in Turin!!! Waaaaaaaaaaaah, Shizukaaaaaaa!!

So I'm very happy now:) :) :) Yay!Yay!Yay!

A Rainy Day

2006-02-21T00:04:00.000+09:00

It was a rainy day, so my favorite merry-go-round didn't work.

Walking

2006-02-21T00:00:00.000+09:00

This morning, I was taking a walk around the Imperial Palace.

McDonald's

2006-02-17T23:40:00.000+09:00

"Maidanglao" means McDonald's(in Mandarin).

I like french fries! Isn't it so healthy??? I shouldn't eat?

Mai dang lao

2006-02-17T00:16:00.000+09:00

I had a Mandarin lesson today.

I leaned a new word: Mai dang lao.

Can you guess what it means?

I'll give you some clues.

#1 It's a common hamberger chain.
#2 Red and yellow
#3 Supersize Me

You got it?

My 5 things

2006-02-15T01:29:00.000+09:00

Thanks for tagging me, Woody and Krissy.

Okay, I'll give it a try.

10 years ago:
Hmmmm...I forgot. I reckon I had parties every night.

5 years ago:
I was living in my companies dormitory.

1 year ago:
I'd just started keeping blog in English. It really helped me to improve my English communication skills. At first I had only Japanese blog friends and I couldn't imagine that I made friends living overseas at that time...Today I'm keeping in touch with YOU almost everyday! It's amazing, isn't it? I'm really happy now. Thaks, everyone:D

Yesterday:I was eating strawberry chocolate.

5 Songs I know all the words to:
Yesterday Once More
You And Me by lifehouse
For You To Notice by Dashboard Confessional
You Get Me by Michelle Branch
Kiss Me by Sixpence None The Richer
Am I sure? ...no.

5 Things I'd do with a million dollars:
Buy realestates and stocks to make more money
Make my company
Hire my own massagist
Move to Hawaii
Have a little house in Hawaii
....Living in overseas is my dream. Este es el sueno mas grande de mi vida.

5 Things I'd never wear:
Fundoshi
"Maid cafe staff" costume -->http://moeten.info/maidcafe/
Doggie wear
Mickey Mouse costume
Winnie the Pooh costume

5 Favorite toys:
My mobile phone
MSN messenger
My electric dictionary
My blue i-pod mini
My ukulele

5 Favorite books or TV shows:
Friends
Sex and the City(!!)
Smallville
Harry Potter
Japanese for Busy People(I'm studying how to help my friends..)

5 Greatest Joys:
My Family
Friends
Languages
Starbucks
Feng-shui

5 people I tag: Bernat, Erika, JJ, Peter, Jedi

PS I know you don't like meme, Bernat...sorry! Gomenne!

Feliz San Valentin...Eve

2006-02-13T20:02:00.000+09:00

Tomorrow is Valentine Day.
In Japan, we give chocolates to our boyfriends (or to ones who we want to ask out).

Ta-daaaaaa!
I bought a box of chocolate!!!
Do you want to know who I whould give it to?

Of couse, TO YOU, amigos!!!

"Comed mucho chocolate y feliz San Valentin!!!!"

..means eat lots of chocolates and Happy Valentine Day!!
(^3^) = chu!

Spanish Lesson

2006-02-07T01:17:00.000+09:00

Today I went to a Spanish restaurant in Tokyo.

I couldn't speak so well but I had great tasty food.

After I arrived home, I connected to MSN and chatted to Bernat who's my friend living in Barcelona.
I came across him on this blogger world. It's amazing, isn't it?
He is now my Spanish teacher.
I'm learning a lot of new sentenses from him.

Muchas gracias por la clase de hoy, Bernat sensei:D

Rich Dad Poor Dad

2006-02-01T01:27:00.000+09:00

I went to a seminar of money.
We studied about "cash flow" as we were playing a board game.

It's from a best seller novel called "Rich Dad Poor Dad" written by Robert Kiyosaki.

It was sold a lot also in Japan.
Many Japanese people read them and were impressed.
I think it was sold all over the world.

Does the title sound familiar to you?
Have you read it?

Anyway, playing the game was so enjoyable and interesting.

Lunch Box

2006-02-01T01:14:00.000+09:00

Recent my boom is making lunch box.
Actually I bring it to work everyday.

The reason that I started it was to SAVE MONEY.
But it's kind of interesting and pretty yummy.

Tomorrow's menu is an plain omelet, tomatos, pumpkin croquettes and seaweed rice<----Doesn't it sound nice?

I really like "something rice"...like Chinese fried rice, paella, risotto, nasi goreng and SUSHI!!!

I'm enjoying my favorite RICE cuisines every lunch time!!

Arrest

2006-01-23T23:47:00.000+09:00

Today, a famous guy has been arrested in Japan.
We are so shocked.

I'm still watching TV.
I want to take a bath but I can't move....uuuu

Talkative Style

2006-01-23T00:13:00.000+09:00

When I was doing my English homework at my favorite Starbucks, a gentleman sat down next to me.
He glanced at me and asked me in English,
"Hi, are you studying English? How's your study?"

I was surprised,"Ohhhhhh, how talkative and friendly he is!"
---At Strabucks------------------------------------------
Peach: Yeah. I'm doing my homework:D
Gentle: Good!
Peach: Are you a teacher?
Gentle:No, but I can't speak Japanese, so I'm interested in studying language....bla bla bla
Peach: I like studying:D .....bla bla bla
---Coffee Break---
Gentle:Good luck on your study:D
Peach:Thanks!
----------------------------------------------------------

After he'd gone, my sister made a weird face and said, "What happened? Why did he talk to you?"
I knew what she meant.
Japanese people are shy, so we hardly talk to someone that haven't met before.

I think people in western countries usually talk to new people friendly. I mean in the States, UK, Spain, Italy, Canada etc.
Am I right? Do you usually talk to someone you really don't know?

I like that style, so I had a great time today:D

Snow!

2006-01-22T23:56:00.000+09:00

It's still snowing from this morning.
Most of people in Tokyo aren't used to snow....
I can't go anywhere, so I'm talking to my friends on MSN.

much better

2006-01-20T00:19:00.001+09:00

Thanks to your warm comments, I'm feeling much better, so I went to a Japanese tea lesson today.

I have three teachers there, but one of them got the flu....

Now in Japan, many people are suffering from the flu.
I didn't have a flu jab yet. So I have to be careful.

Anyway, my friend taught me a new vocab.
Let me tell you,

*Cough! Cough!* and *Cof! Cof!*
I can cough in English and also in Spanish.

It's cool, isn't it? :D

koho koho

2006-01-17T01:40:00.000+09:00

I caught a cold, again.
koho koho<----coughing sound in Japanese.

I need enough sleep.
Good night, everyone.

*koho koho*

Oceans 13 in Tokyo?????

2006-01-14T23:43:00.000+09:00

I heard Hollywood had decided to film the next "Oceans 13".
What's their next target? Where is their next city?

(I also heard Tokyo might be the next stage of the movie.)

Tag

2006-01-11T00:50:00.000+09:00

P.S. I was already tagged by Amber.

Weird Habits

2006-01-10T23:21:00.000+09:00

I was invited to a game by Dblk. I should write my 5 weird habis and then invite other 5 bloggers to this game.
Okay I got it!
Actually I'm a little strange person, so it's hard to chose only 5 stuff.
#1 My nose sometimes moves like rabbits while I'm talking.
#2 I sometimes fall asleep with my glasses on.
#3 I talk to TV.
#4 I sometimes hum and talk to myself ............while I'm working!!!!! OMG!!!

I actually didn't know #4. My colleague told me about it last summer.....oh, it's really embarrassing.

Well....
I gotta go to invite 5 people!

Muy Bueno

2006-01-09T12:38:00.000+09:00

I went to a Spanish restaurant to have my friends' birthday party.
All of the staff at the restaurant spoke Spanish, so I thought it was a good chance to use my broken Spanish!

But I could just say
zumo de pomelo, por favor. ( grapefruit juice, please.)
muy bueno, muchas gracias. ( so delicious, thank you so much.)
estoy estudiando espanol. ( I'm studying Spanish.<--Actually my friend translated it for me:D)
hasta pronto!(see you soon.)

It was difficult*sigh*....but to be honest, it was kind of enjoyable.
Besides the food was so delicious and the atmosphere was so nice!

I liked the restaurant and I want to go there again.......
......soon! pronto!

Always With Me

2006-01-04T23:53:00.000+09:00

I had a New Year ukulele lesson. Today's song was "Always With Me" (=Itsumo nando demo) the main song of "Spirited Away(=Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi)".

Do you like Ghibli cartoons? Eg. "Princess Mononoke"
Have you ever seen "Spirited Away"?
I really like it. How about you?

My ukulele teacher told us about the next lesson's plan that we will play it in turn and then talk about each playing style.

Am I able to play by myself? ...no I can't xD!
So I have to practice it everyday from now onward!

See you!

Party

2006-01-03T01:28:00.000+09:00

My friends organized a party for me.
We ate delicious Sushi and sang Karaoke.
I had a really really great time!!
I was so impressed that I almost cried (: _ ;).

I'm sure that it was the best birthday I've ever had!!

Happy New Year!!!

2006-01-01T00:48:00.000+09:00

The new year has started!!!

Feliz Año Nuevo!!! in Spanish
Feliç Any Nou!!! in Catalan
Felice Anno Nuovo in Italian
新年快乐!! in Mandarin
Akemashite Omedetou!!
in my native tongue, Japanese

Well.... everyone!
May the lucky ＊stars＊ keep shining on you!!
I hope to read tons of enjoyable comments this year, too!
Happy New Year!!

I missed....

2005-12-28T01:36:00.000+09:00

I had a year end party today. We ate great Tiwanese cuisine and sang Karaoke...and finally I missed the last train.

(>_<)help meeeee!

Tokyo Millenario

2005-12-26T23:09:00.000+09:00

I went to see "Tokyo Millenario" lights show.
It started in 1999 and has become a special winter event in Tokyo. But unfortunately it's gonna be the last time...... at least for a little while because of a construction of the nearest station.

I took some photos. Well, let me show you.
It looks amazing, doesn't it?

Merry Christmas, everyone!

2005-12-25T19:48:00.000+09:00

I just wanted to say.......
＊Merry Christmas ＊ :D:D:D!!

Spa

2005-12-24T00:19:00.000+09:00

It hasn't start snowing yet..hmmm.. I'm still waiting.

Anyway, tomorrow is Christmas Eve.
It is a day for dating in Japan. We usually don't spend this day with family.
My plan? I'm gonna have a Chinese dinner and then go to a spa to have massage with my friends! Yay!

Snow

2005-12-21T23:27:00.000+09:00

It snowed in Japan except Tokyo.
But the weather forecast said that it might start snowing tonight in Tokyo.
Really?? I doubt it...

Exausted...

2005-12-20T20:32:00.000+09:00

I was supposed to go see a movie, but I was so exausted that I went back home.
Now I'm having dinner.
It's not that bad to spend time doing nothing.

Overslept

2005-12-20T01:08:00.000+09:00

I overslept!!!!! I wake up too late this morning.
I usually start working at 9:00 but today I wake up after that. I can't believe that, gosh!
...oh....I'm ashamed of myself.

Mr.&Mrs. Smith

2005-12-15T02:14:00.000+09:00

Did you see "Mr.&Mrs. Smith"?
How was that?

Interesting? All right? Not so good?
If you've already seen it, please tell me whether I should see or not.

Long time no Karaoke!!

2005-12-13T23:43:00.000+09:00

I'm gonna go to Karaoke with my friends TOMORROW!!
I love singing but recently I had no Karaoke paties.

So I'm thinking what I should sing first...

I heard that "Karaoke Box" isn't that common in your countries. Is it right?
Does "Karaoke Box" sound familiar to you? Have you ever seen it?
If you've never seen it but you're interested in it, please check out the movie called "Lost In Translation".
The hero and heroine went out and sang Karaoke in a small room . That's "Karaoke Box". It might look weird to you. But it's clean and foods are delicious. It's not that expensive. They also have tons of songs of Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean.
There are LOTS of them here in Tokio.
When you have a chance to come here, you should go Karaoke to sing and have dinner!!! It should be fun!!

P.S. What would you sing in a Karaoke place?

A Geisha Movie

2005-12-12T00:57:00.000+09:00

I went to see a movie called "Memoirs of a Geisha" today.
Ziyi Zhang who is a famous Chinese actress was playing as a Japanese Geisha.

She looked beautiful as she was wearing nice kimonos. I heaved a sigh of envy*haaaaa* .
It was an interesting movie but I was a little disappointed by two points.

#1 Why they chose her instead of a Japanese actress?
Was there no actress in Japan who can perform?
#2 Language.
At the beginning of the movie, people were speaking Japanese but suddenly they changed it to English even though they are still living in Japan. It was SO weird.

By the way, it's sooo cold here in Tokio. It's just started hailing:D!

New Challenge

2005-12-06T23:49:00.000+09:00

I bought the novel of "Harry Potter 4". I saw the movie last weekend and some of my friends told me the original is much better.
I've just started reading it today.
Do you know how thick it is?!

I once tried to read "The notebook", "The Da Vinci Code" and "Angeles and Demons" written in English, but I gave up all of them.
This time I want to complete it.

I'm on P25 out of 796.
Am I able to finish this book? I'm still not sure, so please encourage me everyone!
I need YOUR power!

Gobble Gobble Gobble

2005-11-27T21:57:00.000+09:00

Today, I went to see "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" with my sister.
It was awesome, wasn't it?

At Hogwarts, they had an amazing dance party before the competition.
It was like a prom in America.
Harry asked a beautiful girl to be his partner but...

I heard that they are preparing the next one and we can see it in two years(2007 summer). Oh, I want to see it soon! I can't wait that long!

My sister and I went to a doughtnut shop afterwards.
I like talking about movies over coffee and doughtnuts after I watch them.
Sweets and enjoyable chitchatting are our power!

Anyway, if you were Cho Chang, who would you dance with?
#1 Harry Potter
#2 Ron
#3 A handsome guy, Cedric
#4 A macho guy, Krum

Me? Of course, #4.

Amber's already seen Harry Potter!!!

2005-11-26T10:34:00.000+09:00

The newest Harry Poter has come out in Japan today. I think most of other countries are same.

Bu bu bu bu but!!! Amber who is my frinend living in England has already seen it!!
It came out earlier in England. She's already known everything about what happened to Haryy!!!!
She told me a bit of what she thought of the movie.
Ohhhh, I'm jealous! I want to see!

Actually I have a plan to have a Genghis Khan party today(means "a mutton barbecue party"), so I'm gonna go see it tomorrow!!

Here is her blog. Please visit her! She wrote about it on today's post:)
Amber's blog

Harry Potter

2005-11-23T22:34:00.000+09:00

I'm watching previous Harry Potter on TV. It's second time for me, but it's still fun:D.
Well, new one is coming soon. We can see it from this Saturday in here. How about you?

I'm looking forward to it so much.

Japan Expo in LA

2005-11-22T22:40:00.000+09:00

I heard that Japan Expo had been held in Los Angeles last weekend.
My friend living there enjoyed lots of Japanese stuff.

...kinda...Japanese drums, Japanese thick noodles called "Udon", Playstation and some pieces of rice cake with peanut butter!
Oh, sounds good! His story made me starving!

I really love rice cakes called "Mochi" in Japan!!
Yeah, I believe Mochi is one of the most delicious foods in the world!
"Mochi mochi" is used as an adjective and it means "gooey".

Oh, it reminded me of another "mochi mochi" food called "pao de queho".
It is a small cheese bread from Brazil.
The outside is dry and the inside is soooo gooey. It's heavenly!!!
--->http://www.marions-kochbuch.de/rezept/0029.htm

Well, tomorrow is national holiday in Japan.
My plan is still open. What am I doing, Peach?
I might enjoy tons of DVDs or take a day trip to northern Japan.
Oh, I'm so excited that I can't fall asleep tonight!!!

Strong Drinker

2005-11-21T20:30:00.000+09:00

I got a brand-new clock on my blog.
Let me show you!! It shows my time zone.

I think when you're reading and writing blogs, I'm in dreamland.

I'm usually sleeping from 2am to 7am.
But sometimes I fall asleep before midnight when I'm exausted.

I think I can't stay awake today until midnight because yesterday was a ukulele party.
My playing was awful! I want to forget it! Ahhhhhhh xD !!!!
BUT :D the party was so nice!
My friends and I drank alot!!

I actually can't drink so much, 'cause I get drunk easily and my face turns red. It's embarrassing...

Question! Are you a strong drinker?
(1) Yes----> I'm jealous!!
(2) No-----> Perhaps you're "the strongest" one?
(3) I'm not sure ----> OK, it doesn't matter! Cheers to your health!

Till next time:)