Downtime weekend

Woke to the sound of rain today.It was really peaceful so I lay there listening to the drips and splashes. Of course this meant my plan for a trip to the sea was off the boil. I ended up going to the cinema to see Tangled. I was quite aware that I was there on my own, but once the film started I didn't care. It was a great movie to see on a grey, wet weekend day, I really enjoyed it. I thought about seeing if any Chinese new year celebrations were on afterwards, instead I ended up back at home making some lentil soup for the week and updating some pictures.There were a few fireworks outside the window a couple of hours ago, I guess the probably the post gradstudents from the halls of residence.Yesterday I had a glorious sleep of nearly 11 hours! the first big sleep for ages- the previous 2 nights were really noisy here with gales roaring through the bare branches of the trees in the park keeping me awake. I was all set for a reasonable lazy day when the police horse clopped by the window to remind me that it was match day.All snuggled up cozy next to the football stadium...makes for noisy Saturdays during the season

So instead I ended up taking a 4 hour walk around Newcastle suburbs and booking someappointments to view some flats. It was nice to walk around the streets- down the red brick, Victorian/Edwardian terraced houses of Jesmond and Sandyford and Heaton. I came across the Church where my sister was baptized when we used to live in Whitley Bay (a coastal town near here), so it was almost like a trip down memory lane. As I headed home the match was being broadcast across the city- A huge cheer went up at one point which echoed around for ages and judging by the noise it must have been an exciting match.

Later on, after the match, the cheer was replaced with the sound of the local teenagers shouting/screaming and howling at each other in the park. It was almost like listening to the sounds of the jungle- with those loud carrying howler monkey noises that the boys were making.

And finally....look at these little fellows, merrily munching away on the grass in the middle of the city, right next to a busy pavement. Wild aswell, I could imagine the squeals of kawaiii! if my J-friends saw these.

Fancy a frisk?

Little things I've noticed since being back...

1. Chocolate is more expensive- maybe its because the shop is in the hospital, maybe its to encourage you to not eat too much, but it costs much more than I remember.

2. Asking people if they want a frisk meets with a rather shocked look and silence as opposed to a yes please "itadakimasu".

3. There are birds everywhere- and they aren't just the mutant giant evil crows

4. I have no idea who any of the singers and bands are on the radio

5. The sun is just rising as I get up for work at 8am and I don't need thermals on to leave the house, but you can wander around the hospital without melting in normal clothes

6. People DO actually hold the door open most times...its very nice.

Praise be and bless you whoever you are

I have internet...in my flat....hurrah!

I've spent this last week in almost nun like silence reading books, sleeping by 9am because of the lack of internet access.

I can use it in work, but I've been busy doing experiments with the super enthusiastic minion and million of cells to be used so I haven't had much chance there either (still waiting for contracts etc...but should be progress soon on that front).

Turned on the laptop for some noise whilst I eat dinner and try and drown out the slightly noisy hoodies roaming the park outside the flat and clicked the internet button as a habbit. Low and behold some kind person near me has signed up to some programme that loans out some of their wireless internet for others to access. So for a fee of a few pounds I"ve got a pile of hours to use on the internet.

The last week has been a blur of work- I was far busier than I thought, with meetings and experiments and everything. They all seem like a really nice bunch of people and I've seem to have settled back in the UK life of set tea and coffee breaks and cakes for birthdays ( I did my duty today). I've worked out the short cut through the hospital to the lab, watched the air ambulance from the coffee room window whilst eating my sandwiches and enjoyed the general banter and gentle leg pulling that you don't really get in Japan.

Home has been somewhat quiet, with only the itunes for company and unpacking boxes that arrived (impressively quickly) and reading books. I've made it through the entire Millenium Triology (the Swedish one "girl with the dragon tattoo" etc) this week, which I've enjoyed a lot it must be said.

But I am relieved to be able to get some internet access here now- I've been feeling cut off somewhat. But here I am, but I really should go eat my dinner before it gets cold. So catch up soon

Wye aye man

Hello you all!

Just a quick post to let you know I've arrived in Geordie land. I left the meters high piles of snow and freezing temperatures behind me and landed into the winter greens and browns of Newcastle. I've already experienced the football match crowds and noise outside of my flat, shopped myself to a standstill and I'm slowly working through my 'my god I've missed you' foods and drinks. I even went and ate soba in wagamama and mistakenly ordered in Japanese much to the bewilderment of the waitress.
I'm borrowing a computer and log on address in work. After all the rush to get here, it turns out my contract has been finished yet- the company lawyers are being slow, so I can get a proper email and proper access, staff card or paid...at the moment. I have had calls to say this will be sorted, but in the meanwhile I'm hanging around my new lab and desk space, drinking coffee- eating cake. I may even get some lab work done today.
Anyway, once I'm back online more freely I'll be sure to update and stick up some pictures of greenery for any of those still stuck in a Japanese winter.

Ja, mata ne!

my life in boxes

I'm at home this morning waiting for the post to come take away the first lot of boxes for shipping back to the UK. Inside this pile are the majority of knick knacks from the years here- random hello kitty keyrings from Nagasaki, Tokyo, Nara; Ainu mouth harps, Photo's from New Zealand, post cards from Taiwan and Thailand, nearly 4 years of memories in boxes.

My apartment is suddenly looking more spacious after the piano and other furniture was moved off to their new owners- in the middle of a snowstorm for that extra challenge.

Tonight is my leaving party from the lab so I guess I should go practice my leaving speech...

Well, that was a...

bracing walk into work this morning.
I was wondering whether the rest of the world had stolen our snow allowance, but it seems to have arrived en masse in a swirling wind blown pile.
Today, I've got starbucks coffee on order to sweeten up my lovely secretary friend, while she helps me to cancel all the utilities for the apartment and sorts out some large trash pick up. I say helps, but actually she's really doing it all while I stand there to supply numbers or dates as appropiate. I've been feeling a little helpless in the last few days (seriously cursing the lack of Japanese to do these kind of phone calls), not helped by the lack of sleep and constant crushing weight of the LIST of things to do. It kinda came to head yesterday when I was in a particularly crabby mood, I rang another friend in work to meet for lunch and ended up having a bit of a weep down the phone at her. I didn't mean to as she has enough on her plate with trying to finish her PhD thesis, but in the end it was probably what was needed to clear my head and focus.
The lovely secretary came to the rescue yesterday and I've now got the shipping sorted for next week. Phew.... a big relief to tick at least one more thing off the LIST

Exploding stomachs and giant flying cranes....how I survived New year

あけましておめでとうございます。こつぉひもよろしく！

Welcome to 2011.A year of big changes for me, most of which will take place in less than 3 weeks! crap...must pack, must pack....

Anyway, how did I spend my New Year? Well...my friend Y invited me to her parents house for O-shogatsu Japanese style. She picked me up Friday afternoon with my Wii that she's inheriting. We set off to her parents somewhere between Shin-Sapporo and Kita Hiroshima.
Her parents are really sweet, highly normal with an ageing half blind tubby dog. After a brief introduction we headed out off to the local super sento for a pre-new year bath....ahhhh, so nice and then back for dinner. Sushi, pasta salad, osechi stuff, huge slices of tako and salmon, chowamushi- which I ate! and enjoyed! (I'm an egg hater so it was a big thing for me), and fried chicken. I was so glad I hadn't eaten much earlier as all the portions were huge and they were all so encouraging to eat, eat and eat! so I did my best.
Then we sat down to watch the kohaku, the annual red and white song contest. The whole thing.... whilst being plied with coffee, fruit, cake and snacks. I particularly enjoyed the giant mechanical crane, topped by the woman. Last year she sang her song on top of a large replica model of herself so this was practically tasteful!
At 11pm "Mama Y" produced a huge bowl of new year, long-life soba noodles, topped with tempura prawns and the like for new year, my stomach was seriously protesting at this point,but I managed to slurp a few mouthfuls of noodles. The dog,Love-chan, also got noodles.
After the end of the Kohaku- won by the white team (men) again, we tuned into the bells being rung for the 108 sins of the year and a tour round the shrines and temples of Japan. It was lovely to see the shrine in Tottori-ken coated in heavy snow, but with the rabbit statues peaking out from underneath their snowy mantle, so cute.
And just after new year, after wishing everyone body a happy new year- with the bowing, we retired to bed. It took me til 3 to drop off as I feeling so full. And I woke with the sun in time to ring home for new year in Scotland, where my parents and sister were enjoying the fireworks and ceilidh music in the background.
Breakfast was another feast- mochi soup, a huge half fillet of Hokke from Obihiro, pickles and sausages.
In an effort to make some space for the food, we fired up the Wii for some New years tennis and bowling and then headed to the local shrine for hatsumode and a delicious cup of hot amazake.

After this Y and I headed to the local Jusco shopping center for the lucky bags. I thought the shops would be closed, but it was heaving with people and the shop assistants yelling ( I bet they must be hoarse by now!). I didn't mean too, but I ended up coming back with a lovely cardigan coat and scarf from Benetton....ah well.

After a quick pop back home we headed back to Sapporo, not before being loaded down with breadrolls, sweets, cheese mochi snacks and rice crackers....

I think the act of moving will help shift some of the new year calories. I hope it does anyway. Back to work tomorrow for my last 8 days of work in Japan. I've got 3 leaving parties in the next 2 weeks so its going to be busy 2 weeks.