Saturday & Sunday things

I'm a little behind on posting, but I'll start here and fill in the blanks when I have time..

Saturday I spent having a wonderful & well over due sleep in - trust my body clock to wake me up at 7am but I forced myself back to sleep till 10! Skyped my parents & leisurely did my hair and makeup (talk about luxury!) before heading out to the annual Onomichi Film Festival. The film festival was great fun, some awesome short films and commercials from some very creative people, the burgers at the venue were divine and it was nice to catch up with old friends, oh and eat some delish Onomichi ramen! The short film I submitted (which has consumed so much of my time) was really well received and I'm really happy at how it turned out!

Sunday was spent hitting the snooze button on my alarm, lunch date with the BMM's first lady at a cute cafe in the city, walking around taking pics of graffiti and then heading out to the stadium to watch rugby. A beautiful afternoon to sit in the sun and watch hot boys with sexy legs run around in short shorts! A spot of shopping on my way home (will post my haul later) and a ice soy latte from starbucks for my train ride home sounded out a lovely relaxing weekend. Oh and I have a small tan forming, excited - beach time soon!

xx

I can't stop shopping!

Here's my haul from my Sunday session..

Argan Oil Silk Hair Mask Pack by Skinfood. This stuff is amazing. I got a few free samples and was hooked instantly. It's a must have! I hope they ship internationally for when I move! If you haven't tried Skinfoods products yet, I highly recommend you do. All their products are amazing. My absolute favorite product apart from the above hair mask is the black sugar facial scrub. 

Forme Acne Care Oil Cut Base (for strawberry nose). This is a new product for me to try. I have really big pores on my nose and when I wear makeup it really shows up. This cream is supposed to smooth over the surface of your nose and reduce the visibility of pores. I had a quick play tonight when I got home but the real test will be tomorrow after I put on my makeup. 

Hello Kitty phone recharger. My phone died when I was in the city on the weekend (ok I run out everyday!) so I finally decided to buy a rechargeable battery pack. And I couldn't resist this super cute one! I don't know why it took me do long to get one..time to stop using     my phone so much!

Nail seals & gold nail tape. I've never been big on doing my own nails but since coming to Japan and seeing all the cute things there are to decorate your nails with, not to mention the plethora of colours and all so cheap! 

Dnails gel look topcoat. I've been looking for a good gel topcoat. The last one I tried wasn't too gel looking and this one had a fancy display at the shop, seeing as I can't read most of what it says it's packaging and shiny things all the way!

Fuji Film instax mini Polaroid film. I'm burning through the last lot of polaroid film I got, doesn't help that there's only 10 pics per packet. Too bad Donquijote doesn't stock the film in colours other then white. 

Fan-tastic volume mascara. This is my first time using a Japanese mascara & I have to say I like it! It's not waterproof which is great (& hard to find here!). I think I'm hooked! 

I still have to update my haul from Tokyo & Osaka...maybe I'll save that for this weekend!

Xx

Tired..

I need a holiday from my holiday.

So exhausted and sore.

Two more days and then my parents leave, 4 more days and then I'll be boarding a plane for Manila. All I really want to do is go home to Hiroshima, sleep in my bed & watch all my tv shows and start eating properly again. Oh and go to physio.

Currently very hungover on the Shinkansen to Osaka after a boozy few days in Tokyo.

I love Tokyo. But I love my quiet, laid back less crowded Hiroshima more.

x

a week of busy

This week has been a flurry of activity, finally started back teaching at elementary school again and gosh it was good to actually do something at school then sit there and try not look bored out of my mind which I was the last few weeks. Although I don't generally like teaching elementary school kids, I have to admit it was nice to be back in the classroom. 

Week highlights and happiness...

- having a kamehameha photo shoot at touch practice 

- cooking pretty amazing (if I do say so myself!) dinners

- getting all my errands done in one afternoon (FINALLY sending LL's birthday/valentines present!)

- buying more plants - purple basil, lemon balm, mint and strawberries, and they make my house smell so good.

- using my parents arriving in one week as motivation to start sorting out everything I have accumulated over the past four years and cutting ties with clothing I don't need - two MASSIVE bags are filled beyond closing, one for the rubbish dump and one for the second hand shop...don't even get me started on the shoes.

- using said motivation to clean the house like a maniac - starting before 9am on a Sunday morning!!

- going to the newly opened Costco in Hiroshima and buying massive bags of frozen fruit, fresh fruit, bagels, liters of cranberry juice, salad greens, eating the most delish churros I have ever had (maybe it was so amazing because I haven't had one in a big long while?) and then realising in the car on the way home that I might not be able to fit everything into my freezer (after some jiggling and rearranging and putting everything into smaller bags, it all fit)!

- having yummo Chinese dinner with some teacher friends who gave me low down of all the goings on in our school office, and one of them gave me gifts from Korea, all cosmetic related - clearly she knows me too well! There was even a sneaky skin food nail polish in there in the most perfect pink (currently doing my nails with it!)

- dinner with friends, homemade pizza (AMAZING), tiramisu and Mario Kart.. I suck really bad at Mario Kart. 

- buying fresh flowers for my house.

- finally getting my eyebrows coloured (it had been a while) and my hair trimmed.

- going to physio for the first time in a month, and although it hurt like a bitch it was really good to get all the kinks out and work on the lingering problems.

- going for a run and accidentally stumbling upon two of my ex-students canoodling along a dark not so busy road (I run along there just for that, so my students rarely see me - I run at night) it was major awkies they were just as shocked and surprised as I was - I waved and sprinted past, up hill I might add and then to save any further awkwardness. I didn't want to come back the same way like I usually do so I had to find a new route, which was surprisingly really easy and it was a nicer and more interesting way to return. Sunday night running success!

- making strawberry and peach crumble with the frozen fruit I got from Costco. Delish!

The feeling of accomplishment and relief after getting all this done was great too! I'm super happy and content in bed as I type - this week was pretty daymn good! Here's to another good week to come - and the preparation for my parents arrival in 5-6 days!

hearts and awkward hugs

xxx

No moving mountains..but climbing them

Weekend recap

Keeping with my fitness challenge (as well as my resolution to "try new things or retry things you don't like because you actually are an adult whether you like it or not") I climbed a mountain on Saturday – it wasn't as hard as I thought it might be, although still challenging. The view from the top was STUNNING. I felt so calm and at peace there. Now I know why my friend regularly climbs (or sometimes drives) to the top - just to sit and be. It was truly beautiful. I’m so happy I decided to challenge myself this year, to do things I don’t like or didn't think I could. Without sounding too cheesy and cliche, hard work does pay off whether it climbing a mountain to be rewarded with an amazing view or studying like a maniac to get a good result on a test. Sushi was also a great choice of dinner on Saturday - even if we did have to wait for 30 minutes to get a seat. Mr Smiles was working. I tried to take a sneaky pic of him and his amazing smiles but didn't manage one - maybe next time. Mr. Smiles probably has the best smiles ever. He can't stop smiling and his smiles are the big broad kind that are always attached to his face. He's never without a smile. I just love him, just looking at him makes me smile and I leave feeling so happy and positive. I suppose what they say is true - smiles are contagious. 

Sunday was spent watching Downton Abbey, cleaning my ridiculously impossible to clean Japanese bathroom, doing laundry and keeping an eye on the weather app on my phone and constantly looking outside checking for rain – it finally arrived in the afternoon followed by an almighty thunder and lightening storm, procrastinating cleaning more of the house, playing on pintrest, making a smoothie that I am absolutely addicted to, doing my hair and painting my nails ready for the school week,soaking my muscles from yesterdays mountain climb and procrastinating doing the 30 day squat challenge – 110 of the suckers (yes I did them!) I will make this squat challenge my bitch.

Hearts and squats

xx

Fitness Barbie

Nails of the weeks..

Lots of free time and no school for a week had me with pretty nails. They're now gold sparkly & red, but I forgot to take a pic before they started chipping.

Pondering my next mani...

dem blurred lines...

Happiness this week is found in the form of coffee, the new season of Mad Men returning, cooking delicious meals at home (Mexican chicken wraps), getting things together - organising, making lists and planning, a clean house, morning messages from TM, new 50 yen bath salts from Muji (aloe,ocean and mandarin flavors), doing my nails while re-watching Game of Thrones from the beginning, deciding to make my own cook book, going on adventures to find graffiti, doing crafty things around the house, basketball Fridays starting back up, cherry and oolong tea from Muji, starting the 30 day squat challenge with TM (although he keeps forgetting!), doing hula workouts from you tube and Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke, Pharell and T.I. It’s the best song out – and the video is pretty awesome!