Time Flies!

The Mister and I now in our third month of living at this adorable first home of ours! Still rental of course...

The boys are with us and as far as I can tell they are really enjoying this lifestyle--a 15 minute walk in the morning, a 30+ minute in the evening, two meals a day, and fresh water at all times. Poppo can even walk without a leash on more quiet streets!



My dear friend Elena came to visit from LA last month. It was amazing. We are the same after 7+ years. Like she said, the reunion could have been anywhere and it would have been just as great. Loved seeing the mister and she get along so well. (Pics to come...)

We still have no dates set for wedding or engagement parties but I think we'll have some loose plans relatively soon!

Exhausted

I'm exhausted post-noon.

I can barely make myself do one task in the PM, if at all any.

Today I finally figured out bills, and made a separate online payment.

Mom I know we have a date to talk. I just don't think I can do it.

Why. The. Exhaustion.

Love In Field

China is the new America.
It's where everyone wants to sell products to.

I don't make cars.
I don't make batteries.
I can make body scrubs. I will call the line Love In Field, and sell them in Japan too.

Maybe my fantastic spa will kindly carry the line first. First, the backstreets of Harajuku. Then, China.

We Are The World

ひーーっさしぶりにalmost オールしたよ〜♪（ 4時まで遊んでた)
男の子たちも一緒だったから超はしゃいだ！



We Are The World歌ったけどこれはいいね。最後の部分はみんな参加できるし、レンジもたまたまちょうどいい for me。レパートリーに追加！



見て、ネイルが光ってる。ほんとはエスプレッソ色なんだけど。紫外線から守るトップコート塗ってるからそれが何かに反射したみたいね。

Reported

And will report again, and again, and again. Until they don't give me raises anymore and I go somewhere else, or until GNO becomes a real business, or I win a big phat lottery ticket, or... or I guess I might just continue doing it if I really like it.

http://www.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/movie/feature10.html

Clock Strikes Twelve

A golden, old but never-been-worn dress.
Black satin clutch, red satin lining. Private-detective A-line long jacket.

A feast, of forest butter, sea treasures, and roasted pheasants.
Among comrades, glittering hopefuls, strangers behind glass.

Charming night, gotta run, clock strikes twelve.

Hmph, both shoes stayed on.

I ♥♥♥♥♥ THIS PARTY

OMG!
I love GNO!

Reports

I feel I am doing such a horrible job that yesterday I dreamt that they asked me to fly back economy-class. I am not joking.

What is so tough?? Not so much with the report-ing (yeah, I know, I'm not bad) but the actual behind the scenes stuff. Long story but. Here you go, if you have the interest and time!

Three down, two to go.

God work is hard.

General economic outlook: http://www.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/movie/feature54.html

Interview with Jim Rogers: http://www.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/movie/feature60.html

Asian media hub?: http://www.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/movie/feature64.html

Work on my 31st

I'm 31! I'm 31! An odd number wooo!! (??)

I spent the first four hours of my 31st year Lovin It, ie working on these reports from Singapore. I really thought to myself: Gosh I'm lucky. How many people get to do what they want to do? I get to talk to people, make audio video pieces, work with half a dozen people each with specialists, work on TV and go on TV. This is a gift from somebody and I'm so lucky I have it in my hands right now. And I was happy that it happened on my birthday because I feel blessed to be able to do what I like professionally on a personal day.

Course my motto of late is "I wanna be a brainless housewife" mainly because going to Hong Kong with my beau was the most relaxing thing I have done in a loooong time. Cuz he took care of everything! I did nothing! Expect do my hair! And that was nice too :D Do you think one gets bored being a brainless housewife? Don't you think that contradicts that fact she's brainless??

May this be a happy day for you too.

HK Girl

Yes! I finally made it!!
I loved Hong Kong.

BOJ

HK thought I should blog this.

Mom was happiest about Ron saying "Our reporter Miss Ai...".

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/movie/feature39.html

Watch me live from Singapore in a few weeks time. Stay tuned...

LOST

-AC adapter for computer at work


I'm going to start keeping track. I still haven't found my Very Important Notebook for work and today had no choice but to buy a Moleskin for ¥1,800. (GASP! It's only ¥864 ($1 = ¥90) here!!) But the moleskin is pretty cool.

Aussie-Macau boy says I would lose my head if it weren't attached to my body. It's... probably true!!!

PS Aussie-Macau boy and I are back ON. Juicy gossips to follow pending public demand. What happened? I read my post below and was moved (sniff sniff). Just kidding, I read a quote that said "if you don't make your own path you end up somewhere else"* or something like that and decided that I'm going to get over being a commitment-phobe** and just accept reality. The reality is he's always there for me when I need him and as well makes me happy. Which, when I think about it, is like: WOW! I don't know why I'm so not into this relationship as I am normally, but, again, the reality is it's been 9 months and he's the only one I'm seeing. So. Next step.

Also, I read another quote that made me decide this which was something like "don't feel sorry for yourself too long because then you will be a loser"***.

* If you don't know where you are going, you'll end up some place else. Yogi Berra
** True quote from Miss Ai, circa December 2008 "I might commit to something one day. Maybe."
*** When one door closes another opens. But often we look so long so regretfully upon the closed door that we fail to see the one that has opened for us. Helen Keller

OK OK here it is:

You Vote! The public.... DEMANDS! DOES NOT DEMANDS! This is what you said!

SK-IIng

Actually, I have almost stopped SK-II'ing. Guess what. If you exercise, drink water, eat fruits, and don't put a lot of foundation on, your skin glows. So I'm saving my monthly donation at the SK-II counter for a few years down the road (though I do use good eye cream and may use theirs based on the sample I have. Plus I have their masks--yes, I know, jealous yet??--and it is helpful to have them for that twice a month picker up-er. What is in SK-II anyway?? Magic?!)

No, what I am talking about is skiING. Yes. I am a skier. However, I also enjoy the snowboard. I feel like I'm dating the enemy. Oooh... exciting.

You see, I thought I was going to try snowboarding and know that my true love are (is?) the ski's. However, ladies and gentlemen, let this be a lesson to all of us: your true love doesn't choose you, you choose it. Candidates are there to complicate situations. I think it's OK to know your options, but, at least for me, the longer I have options the longer I don't choose. It's important to decide, and when you cannot, just eliminate. So here it goes..

Snowboarding is... different. Younger. Laid back. Hard to turn but smoother ride.
Skiing is... a bit clunky. Traditional. Faster runs down the mountain.

I found out that liking them both is asking for trouble. In my case, I know if I don't settle I will never buy my own pair of boarding boots or that Prada ski suit. This means I'll be renting forever and that I'll never get really good at either. Meaning, it's a waste of time and I won't look good while I'm doing it. Wow, that sucks!

So. I choose to ski. Sure I'll go boarding once in a while--why not! I'm not married to my ski's. But I know my stance, and actually, that gives me more respect for the sport of boarding and those who chose it.

Let's not waste time. Let's live in the present, launch ourselves on every wave, and find eternity in each moment! (Thanks DT). Perhaps that is what it means to choose.

HALP!

My mind is not keeping up with my body. I think it has to do with December 2008. One day I am a shopowner, next day a news director. Apparently it's brain... over.... loaddddddd.......

I am--suddenly--leaving important items unattended for hours and days. Example: when I went skiing/snowboarding the other day (oh yeah I'll let you know the verdict later. It's... unexpected), I bought fresh strawberries to eat at the lodge. I left it on the boots drying rack. Next day I left my gloves... on the boots drying rack. Both times I didn't realize until 12 hours later, and both times someone else found them for me. WTF!!

More examples: I have officially lost my Very Important Notebook for work where I keep all my gazillions of notes, like where the archived videos are, who everyone is, what this kanji says, passwords to the Recdep... All of a sudden, gone. And I know I left it somewhere unattended because I was using it one minute, and then not the next. NO WHERE TO BE FOUND. Also, I left more important papers stacked right across from my locker at the Ministry of.. I mean, That Place I Work, for 12 hours, in the wide open. Just left it. Right across from my locker. And I have no memory of taking it out or putting it there. Crap...

My brain needs to get back to its normal state. This three day weekend should help.

Oh and by the way I suddenly have ten silver hairs on the front part of my head. If things keep going like this I might just look like the Asian Bonnie Raitt.

HALP!


Thanks to http://icanhascheezburger.com/2007/01/11/halp/

Notes from the last GNO

1. Eat a full meal before beginning.

2. Christian LaCroix heels are good during the event, but for before and after: Pumas.

3. Get a boy assistant who can take photos.

It took me a full week to recover from this last GNO. My position was Event Organizer and organizing the venue, the caterer, the Vodka university, and the girls got a little crazy. By some stroke of luck I received a half dozen "last night was so fun" mails from girls the following day so it seemed to be just crazy on my end, not theirs (I hope). I was lucky because nothing horrible happened, but next time I'll have to be more available in case things get even crazier.

BLESSIN' YOU~

Bless me in glory! Infinitely lovely...

Brill lyrics & voice by yours truly.



And just in case you want to watch it again, in better quality (you know you want to).

A weekend of par-tays

What did you do last weekend? I went to parties! And I even went on a date! Did I ever tell you about my total sum of 1.5 dates over 2 years of post-breakup rehab?! One was a real date and the remaining "1/2" refers to the evening I *thought* was a date¹ until he started talking about the girl he was interested in over dessert. And yes we split the bill. That sucked.

Anyway Sunday was a real date (and yes the person who does the asking out pays on dates. The invitee can offer to pay for coffee afterwards. In my case, it was taiyaki. Bariuma dattashi.) and though it's not going to go anywhere with the guy I just thought I'd let you know that I'm not the social recluse you think I am. Also, isn't it interesting how people say when you meet the right person "you know"? Well I have a tendency to "know" more often than I care to admit (haha. working on it!) but I also "KNOW" right away when he's *not* the one. You know when you know, right? At least I guess about whether you're into him or you not. So... I knew he wasn't it and so I told him we can only be friends, unless he wants to be an intern. Spoken/written Arabic a plus.

Last weekend I also went to a SATC party and an Azabu Juban Matsuri party. Coming up I also have... a Champagne party (involving Krug. The things Champagne does to my skin borders miraculous), a wedding party, a b-day party (Monica is organizing it), a Hurray For Work party, and finally another wedding party involving a duet of A Whole New World with Peabo. Monica, Jasmine, man! I'm all over the place.

So you see I am actually a social butterfly. Twitter twitter. Bye~



Miss Ai living it up at partay over weekend.

¹ He kept asking me out to dinner, I kept declining (graciously), he kept asking. One time I said yes because he offered to meet me after work. A date--Yes? No? Ladies? Gents?? Oh alllllright here you go....

Back by Popular Demand! The Miss Ai Poll! Was It Or Wasn't It?! A date but he changed his mind over appetizers. Sorry dude. Miss Ai, it's 2008 and it's called going Dutch. Date. A victim of the modern times, a retarded little youthling who knows nothing of gentlemenly suaveness. He was in dire need of your pleasant (not to mention HOTT) company for dinner. Wasn't a date but I can see why you thought it was. You're hott. I think he just wanted to go out to dinner as friends. view results

I Had a Dream...

...that I zoned out during tomorrow's Girls Night Out (it's a Vodka U and we'll learn how to make 5 new cocktails! Squeeeel!) and fell hours behind schedule on getting the par-tay started. We were at the bar, idling--the girls were all waiting for my command to get Vodka U going and before I knew it, it was 2 hours into the evening. By then, Vodka U Prof was unfocused, the girls were hungry and bored and.... HOLY CRAP NIGHTMARE!!!

This GNO has been more intensive in its planning as it's more than just a dinner. I organized the venue to allow us the bar to ourselves for a few hours, the "professor" to help us out of the kindness of his heart, the caterer to bring us gourmet sandwiches at a discount, and--OMG I can't believe it really happened!--I asked all the girls to pay in advance. And they did!!! Their actions make me believe there is good in the world. Hallelujah!

Contrary to my (hopefully non-ominous) dream, things have been going smoothly to this point. I'll let you know how it goes after tomorrow.

Chotto Kowaiyo!!!!

Because I'm too shy to post on Facebook...

On my 30th birthday I was cover girl to an executive women's magazine in Japan, Being A Broad.
Basically I talk about how I'm building a Miss Ai Pyramid in Dubai using only interns (hint: just tell them they have "potential") .

This one's for you CC!!

HOT

It's so hot that I'm actually contemplating *not* showering before going out. Because I know I will have to shower when I get back. But it's Sunday and the Pod and I will actually spend it as a day off, possibly by going to see "Dark Knight". So for the public's sake, I will do what is expected of a good citizen (being clean).

In other news, I keep seeing all these friends from my international school days (4th and 5th grade). The other day I had lunch with my BBF from 5th grade Yuriko,, and two nights ago HK and I went to see my BBF from 4th grade Mercy who runs a very successful and gorgeous chain of 20's-style Shanghai Chinese restaurant in China Town (Yokohama). (HK and M are friends too.)

And in other other news I did the lyrics and song to Japanese TV show "Koi no karasawagi (恋のから騒ぎ）" DVD that just came out, plus the new FANCL CM songs which will apparently come out soon. I will embed the youtube when I find it!

And I'm finally on a diet. There! I said it! Bye bye!!!!