Peter Leong

The New Place

2011-11-21T05:24:00.003+09:00

The new place sucks! I cannot ever get away from NOISE it seems. It does not matter how carefully, or even how carelessly I try and find a place. NOISE plagues me wherever I go. And, this new place is no exception. This time it's a rooming house, and an illegal one at that from what I can tell; too many tiny small rooms in too small a space and without proper fire escape routes etc. As far as I can tell, the place is four separate apartments converted into sixteen to twenty small rooms, some with private bath and most without. Mine has a private bath. That was the only draw for me at the time

Anyways, there is no sound insulation in the walls such that I hear everything. People also have such a large footprint that they have no idea how to live within such a small confined space. BANG, BANG, CRASH, CRASH, TALK, TALK, like it was right in the same room. And, late into the night when most "normal" people sleep, too. Arghhhh! I need to get out of here!

Working, Working and Working

2011-10-27T09:47:00.005+09:00

I guess I should update this thing! Anyways, I did get that hotel job I mentioned in my previous post. Been working there for almost three weeks now. Although, I do not get as many hours as I need to survive yet. Low season is upon us. So, that may not look very promising until next spring when high season begins. The same can be said about the wedding studio job, too. I might need yet another part-time job to tied me over the winter months. I'll look for that soon. Right after I move again.

Yes, I'm moving again. I need a place closer to my work places and closer to the cheap places to eat in the city; that being downtown "Chinatown". I mean, where else can you get a plate of food that is so full that even I cannot finish it for $4.00 (and that INCLUDES the tax already)! I mean, "McD's" combo meals are TWICE that price (PLUS tax) any day!

Let's put this another way, a slice of "all dressed" (meat lovers, meat and veggies, etc.) pizza at the local chain pizza joints that dot this city cost $4.85 (after tax). A 6" cold cuts sub at the local chain sub places cost $4.84 (after tax). There is really something wrong in this country when food is so ridiculously expensive everywhere except Chinatown. I mean let's GET REAL! More food on a plate than I can finish for $4.00 vs a pizza slice, or a tiny sub sandwich that leaves me still starved for more than that! C'mon!

So, I'm moving into an area where, in my youth, I would never have in my wildest dreams thought of living. But, here I go doing exactly that. It's where the cheapest places to eat are located and it would actually cost MORE to cook it myself than to eat out. Trust me on this, I used to cook and it cost a small fortune in this city to do that. If you can make a well balanced meal (simple carbs + meat + complex carbs - read: veggies) for under $4.00, let me know!

Plus, after a long day at work, the last thing I want to do is to be at the mercy of public transit. It used to take me well over an hour to get home after work. That is, until I discovered that it was faster to walk home from the subway station than to wait for a bus that only runs every 26 minutes. The walk only takes about 13 to 15 minutes depending on how energetic (read: fast) I feel like walking after running around at the hotel all day.

Well, that's all the news fit to print for now.

The Job Search

2011-09-27T11:11:00.011+09:00

It's been almost one month since I've come back home to Toronto, Canada. And, I've been sick for almost three weeks of that time with a cold in my throat that just would not go away. It's, thankfully, almost gone now!

But, I've not been lazy either as I've been searching for a new job for the past three months now; for a couple of months before I left Korea and for the past month since I've been back. I've also been working freelance for the wedding photography studio that I used to work for before, too. They have some urgent post processing work that needs to be done. I'm still there for about another week and a bit, I think. Hopefully.

Anyways, the results of my job search have not been good. By this time, I am about ninety job applications into the search; about a dozen to Japan, about a dozen to China, about a dozen to Taiwan, about fifty to Korea and the remaining approximate dozen in Toronto. To wit, I have had a grand total of four interviews and possibly one bogus job offer from China that did not even have an interview associated with it. They also never supplied any current employee contacts that I requested either. Hence, the bogus job offer conclusion. Of those four interviews, three of them were from Japanese companies and one from a Toronto company. I have another one in Toronto tomorrow, too. Wish me luck!

If you do a simple statistical analysis on those numbers, you would think, all things being equal, that I would have gotten the most job interviews from the Korean companies. But, no. I had none, Zero. Zilch. Which leads to the inescapable conclusion that, as it is well known around the internet community already, English teachers teaching in private schools in Korea are for non-Asian English teachers only. Period. If you want a good teaching position in Korea as an English teacher, you cannot be of Asian decent. It's as simple as that. I won't belabor this point anymore as an internet search will get you all the information you will need on the subject. Suffice to say that, for the present time, I am no longer looking at English teaching positions abroad. For the time being, I will stay in Canada and find work in Canada, whatever that work happens to be.

As a very good friend of mine said to me recently regarding this predicament, and other related matters; "there is no place to run!"

Bambino Italian Bistro

2011-09-10T22:43:00.013+09:00

One of the things I love most is good food. And, by that I should say, good authentic food. Not some "somethingized" version of a food. Italian food is one of my favorite things. In North America, as well as South Korea, they "North Americanize" and/or "Koreanize" most foods from other cultures. I absolutely HATE this bastardization of original authentic foods! The taste is absolutely not the same afterwards. I know I've waxed poetic (perhaps "bitched" is a better term) about this phenomenon regarding Chinese food in years past and I won't rehash it all again here. Suffice to say I prefer the original tastes of the foods that I eat.

In Toronto, Canada, where I have lived for most of my life, there is a very large Italian community in the city with many authentic Italian restaurants. Like most ethnic peoples, Italians will refuse to eat Italian food if it is not authentic in taste. So, I have had "real" Italian food quite often. Plus, I've also been to Italy. The food taste is the same, which is AWESOME!

One of the late finds during my last few weeks in Korea was the only authentic Italian taste restaurants I have ever found there. They opened downstairs in one of the buildings in the "officetel" complex where I used to live. I regret not being there anymore because their food is just so AWESOME! Owned by a very nice young couple, the food is to die for. It is amongst the best authentic Italian food tastes I have ever had. Period!

I have tried many of their menu items, but not all of them. I was never disappointed by anything they made. Today's photos are of one type of pizza they make; Salami Pizza. It is a thin crust pizza with just the right amount of crunch at the edges and with soft, creamy, chewy cheese in the middle. The salami is real Italian salami and not North Americanized salami so prevalent in pizzas everywhere. The drizzled olive oil makes it so rich and tasty. The appetizer is made of toasted bread with a crushed olive topping (black) and of a lemon topping (green). Very tasty indeed. The salads they make are amazing. I cannot describe how incredible the taste is. If all you know are North American lettuce and tomato salads, you are missing the other 99% of the world!

I wish them great success in their new business as their food is that good. I worry about how well they will do because most Koreans do not like to stray outside of their own Korean food tastes. And, this restaurant is about as far outside of their usual comfort zone as you can get; it's authentic and that's something Koreans only like when it comes to eating their own foods.

Very Highly Recommended

Price: Reasonable

Location: Hivarasa Ville, Incheon, South Korea; opposite Home Plus near Imhak subway station.

Home Again!

2011-09-06T12:15:00.002+09:00

I'm home again! Jet lagged, but otherwise okay. It's really tough to stay awake till bedtime. I'm falling asleep as someone is talking to me. It feels like the twilight zone, except worse! I should be better in a few days. Then, I'll do that last Korean restaurant review promised in the previous post. Gotta go to bed now!

Last Looks

2011-09-03T20:32:00.040+09:00

Today was my last full day here in Korea. I had to move out of the apartment early in the day and that left me with lots of time afterwards. As such, I returned to my old neighborhood after checking into a hotel near the airport for my final night here to do some shooting. Perhaps, I should have done more of that while I was there! Anyways, and in no particular order, here are some shots of the stores and restaurants that I frequented while living here. I will miss them!

Grand Mart department store. A somewhat iconic older chain store that has been around for a while. This one is a block from where I live and is the very first place I shopped at when I arrived here. It's kinda old and run down looking both on the outside and on the inside. But, the stuff they sell are the latest wares.

The main entrance.

A funky sculpture outside.

Yes, that is a McD's you see there. It's in the fourth floor food court area and the taste of the food is the same here as back home in North America. I generally don't like McD's and only ate there a few times. The fries are about the only thing I like at McD's.

Judging by the number of pix I shot of this store you would think it was my fave store. But, it's not. I just like the big old building itself. It's interesting to me because it reminds me of the old stores and buildings in the 60's.

This is Home Plus. Now, this is my fave store. They have just about everything you could want and at decent prices, too. Although, the quality is sometimes a bit low. A part of the UK based Tesco chain of stores, this chain does very well here it seems. It's very popular and always busy. I eat at the Lotteria fast food chain upstairs in the food court. You might recall a review of them a while ago. Basically, the Korean version of McD's. I like them.

Main entrance.

Secondary entrance at the other street corner.

The entrance just opposite my apartment building and the one I usually use.

My former apartment building. It's known as an "officetel"; which is a combination of residential and businesses scattered throughout the building. And, I do mean throughout the building, not just relegated to the first few floors. There was an office type business just on the other side of the elevators facing my apartment. And, I was on the ninth floor!

One of, usually, four entrances; one on each side of the building. This one faces Home Plus. And, is the one I usually used as the recycling depot is closer to this end and I recycled stuff everyday. I'll miss the easy recycling bins, too. Canada's recycling system SUCKS in comparison.

Looking up from just outside the entrance.

Inside the building; the downstairs elevators. There are three of them. But, they are divided into odd floors, even floors and both! Kind of a different system. I don't really know if it's more, or less, quicker. I usually didn't have to wait too long as I leave so early in the morning.

The elevators on my floor.

My former front door.

If you've seen some of my earlier posts regarding my former home, you'll know what it looks like on the inside already. I no longer had a key at this point! Wahhh (sniff, sniff)!

Outside my former front door looking towards the right hand side.

Towards the left hand side.

Straight ahead. Yes, I was right in front of the elevators, but I didn't get too much noise from it, though. People were generally decent about noise.

From the elevators looking towards my old door.

The dry cleaners I used. Pants dry cleaned and pressed within three days; KRW2500. That's a bit over CAD$2!

Caffe Bene. Perhaps the best gelato and waffles I have ever had. It's a chain all over Korea. I love them. I did a review of them earlier.

The best place for home made style dumplings I've ever had. They are home made as you can see them being made as you sit in the restaurant.

Perhaps the only authentic Italian restaurant in all of Korea. A very recently opened restaurant that I just love. I'll have a full review of it coming up soon. I regret that I have to leave just as they arrived!

The best European styled pastries and breads I have had anywhere. Although, some of the "Koreanized" versions of things are a bit not to my liking; like corn added to things where they should not be added. I dunno about this corn thing everyone here seems to have going. And, I mean regular yellow corn like from the cans. Another chain found throughout Korea.

The is the place where I used to get my hair cut for KRW5000 (less than CAD$4.50). Now, compare that to back in Canada where the same hair cut used to cost me CAD$21 + tip! I will surely miss this place, too. I mean, c'mon! What a difference in prices!

A fried chicken place I like. Ironically, fried chicken is not considered a main course meal food here. It's regarded only as bar food and not served with things that you would normally associate with a complete meal; like fries, salad, bread etc. Trying to find a complete meal that includes fried chicken as the protein source is impossible. Luckily, this place had potato wedgies in one of its menu items. Try finding french fried potatoes anywhere other than McD's and its Korean clones.

Korean BBQ grill. Most yummy. A charcoal grill inside your own table where you cook the raw meat yourself. Absolutely the best Korean food around. Various different types and all of it is just so good! Well, except for the spicy versions which are too hot for my tastes buds to handle. This is my fave grill restaurant as their red bean dipping sauce is out of this world good.

My usual table (right) outside on the deck; well, at least during the summer and warm weather months.

Another BBQ grill restaurant that I like.

A noodle place that I like. Their noodles are amongst the best I have had here. Although, they do need to cut down on their use of mussels and clams a bit and add a bit more shrimp in their broths. All in all, still very flavorful and yummy.

Well, that's a very quick and dirty run down of the places in my immediate former neighborhood. I didn't remember to shoot everything, though. For example; my doctors offices just across the street, my bank right at the corner, my tailors just downstairs in my former building, the pharmacy inside Home Plus, the contact lens place right next to the bank, the E-Mart on the way to school, the pizza place also on the way to school, the school itself, the sidewalk vendor who makes the best fresh-made doughnuts I've eaten and so many other businesses that closed up after a few months that I used to frequent. Things change very quickly here in Korea.

I will miss them all. Tis a bittersweet, wistful, feeling at the moment punctuated by short moments of panic when I realize I am headed, once more, into the unknown. I was very excited about coming here to Korea and did not have such moments back then. Now, that I am on the flip side heading back, I sometimes wonder if it was the right decision to leave. Well, what is done is done.

Into the abyss I go!

Haute Couture IV

2011-08-28T21:01:00.015+09:00

Like all my other girls, Reimu had a custom set of PJ's made especially for her, too. They arrived while I was away on vacation in Tokyo and were waiting at my school when I got back to work. I got home later that day and was handing her stuff from the package as she waited patiently for me to do so.

She seems quite happy looking at everything.

Here is a very nice card from Anne, the seamstress who made Reimu's PJ's.

And, with a very nice letter, too.

Ta da! Reimu's new PJ's!

After Reimu got changed, it was time for another PJ fashion shoot. Here she is on the catwalk. Isn't she cute!

The new PJ's are just adorable and Reimu looks so cute in them. Awwwwww!

After Reimu's PJ fashion shoot, it was time to get all the girls together in their PJ's and have a proper family portrait done. Here are all my girls in their PJ's.

Miu

Mai

Yoko

Neris

Reimu

Moko

And finally, the entire family once more.

Note:

This will be my last post with the girls for an indefinite period of time. It has been a crazy week since I got back from vacation as I spent every day packing to go back to Canada. Everything is finally done except for the last two suitcases of my own personal clothes and stuff. I leave a week today after my last week of work.

All my girls are going into storage and will not be coming back out until I find a permanent home. I also need a new job, too. All this will take some time to accomplish. I will miss my girls in the interim. But, it is just too difficult to keep taking them out and to keep packing them up all the time.

As you can no doubt tell from the above, I did not end up getting that job I interviewed for while in Tokyo on vacation. That's just the way the egg rolls!

Last Day At Asakusa

2011-08-17T21:32:00.033+09:00

Main entrance to walkway towards Sensoji Temple.

Branching side-street covered shopping mall.

A side-street off the shopping mall.

Back on the main walkway towards the temple.

Sensoji Temple

My fave ramen noodle soup dish at Chabuton.

Today was my last full day in Tokyo. Tomorrow I fly back to South Korea. Today was also the job interview I mentioned yesterday. Let's just say the interview was pretty intense. All in all, it took about two hours as it also included a short information session by the company. There where almost a dozen people there as well. I'll let you know how that went when I know myself.

Afterwards, I went back to my hotel room, changed, had lunch at the restaurant next door and then headed out to Asakusa. If you will recall from my trip there last year (see here), the main temple was still under renovation and was fully covered. I did not see it then. I did today. The last few photos of that section are of Sensoji Temple, both inside and outside. They did a great job on the renovation as the temple looks gorgeous and so pristine, now.

The walk up to Sensoji Temple was quite interesting as well because there seems to be a new inside-outside shopping mall, a la Nakano Broadway's design, there that I don't recall seeing last year. Most of the stuff there was mostly for tourists as this is the most touristy place I'd seen since I've been here. As you can see from the first few photos, the usual shop lined walkway towards Sensoji Temple branches off to this mall.

Today, as was the case with all the days that I have been here, was hot, hot, hot! The heat and humidity made things very difficult for me to want to do anything outdoors. The dehydration and nausea associated with that was the worst part of the vacation. I can't handle the heat anymore! I think this was also the reason why my guts were not well behaved this week either. Today was another one of those gut wrenching days. At least, it didn't happen during the interview in the morning hours. I think next time I plan a vacation, it'll be for cooler weather months, assuming I have a say in when I can take my vacations. And, I did not have a say as to when in this case.

Anyways, my last stop of the day was back yet again to Chabuton at Yodobashi Camera. It may not look like much in the photos, but this ramen noodle soup is DELICIOUS! It was totally unplanned, but I ended up eating diner there every evening of my trip. Even the nausea did not stop me. Of course, after eating, that nausea went away.

And, so another trip winds down to a close. After I fly back tomorrow, it's back to work again on Friday already. I don't know if I will ever be back here again. And, that's not because I don't want to. I do. It just depends on the job situation. If I cannot find a new job in Asia, I will not be able to afford to come back here for vacations. We'll see what happens.

More Unexpected Happenings

2011-08-16T21:44:00.009+09:00

Well, if you will recall, I had mentioned that I was looking for a new teaching position back here in this post. And, a few weeks prior to my holidays, I applied for a job opening with an English school located in Tokyo.

During the ensuing weeks that followed, I already had a first interview, an interview task (sorta like a test), and a possible second interview pending. Now, that second interview was granted this week. I was expecting to Skype it again like the first one. But, seeing that I'm already in Tokyo, they wanted a personal interview. Well, that was quite unexpected or else I would have prepared for such an occurrence prior to my holidays by packing some appropriate clothing to bring along with me. Duh!

Thus, as you could no doubt gather from that above, I did not bring proper clothing with me for an interview. So, I went shopping today for clothes. A suit, shirt, tie, belt and new shoes came back to the hotel room with me. I went back to Nakano Broadway mall for this shopping as the prices there seemed more "normal". But, this little misadventure still cost me close to a G note! Things are expensive in Tokyo. But, I knew that before. I just didn't expect to spend all my money on clothes. Anyways, no matter the outcome, at least I have some new work clothes. The old stuff back home is starting to get well worn by now.

The interview is tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Note:

No pix yet again today. I had more important things to get squared away today first.

Some Stomach Problems Today

2011-08-15T23:06:00.007+09:00

My stomach was a bit upset today. So, I did not really do that much. It was also a very late start, too; like well after noon time. Even with that, I still ended up being out till late. There are no photos today as I was not in the mood due to my stomach issues. It was all I could do to keep going! Maybe I should have just stayed in the hotel room, but that would have been a waste of a day, though.

Anyways, I went to Shinjuku and walked around for a while. I was essentially in the side streets of this area of Shinjuku for most of today. It really helps to have pix from last year! LOL

Afterwards, I ended up back in Akiba yet again for dinner at Chabuton and some wandering around at Yodobashi Camera itself and around the figures stores again. This area seems to draw me back like a magnet it seems. LOL And, why not. All my fave things are here.

Hopefully, tomorrow will be a more productive day.

Roppongi Nakano and Akiba Again

2011-08-14T23:47:00.041+09:00

Somewhere near the front, I think, of the Tokyo Midtown shopping mall.

There was some sort of outdoor festival going on at the time when I arrived. I don't know what it was about, though. There was also an event for very young kids inside, too.

A very ritzy place with shops to match. I didn't even bother looking at them after seeing some of the well known high end names. Henry Winston, anyone?

This funky looking sculpture captured my attention for a while.

I like smooth rocks!

The main entrance to the Nakano Broadway shopping mall. Now, this is more my speed.

Looking sideways down one of the side streets while "inside" the mall.

The main branch stores of Mandarake are here. The next few pix are of its many stores scattered throughout this shopping mall. No photos are allowed here, though!

Fake sky! It's just a painting backlit by lights, or maybe backlit by real sunlight. Hard to tell. It's on the top floor, though. So, anything is possible.

My fave part; Volks Dollfie Dreams! But, check out those prices, though! Normal Volks pricing is only around US$600.

The Mandarake store back in "Akiba" (Akihabara).

Today started in Roppongi, then to Nakano and ended up back in Akihabara again. It was another very long and tiring day! But, an enjoyable one at that.

I had heard of Roppongi before and wanted to see what it was all about. There is supposed to be another very tall building there that you can go up and observe the city via the sky deck. But, I did not manage to find the building. Maybe next time. The place I ended up at, and where the photos come from is called "Tokyo Midtown". It's a very high end shopping mall right next door to the Ritz-Carlton Tokyo Hotel. You can imagine that I was way out of my league there. The only thing I managed to do at that mall was to eat some lunch. And, not at some restaurant either as that was way too expensive. But, at a grocery store with their cold take-out foods. It was not a very enjoyable lunch to say the least. I did not stick around there long after lunch and left shortly there after.

The next stop of the day was Nakano. There is a shopping mall directly across the street from the Nakano subway entrance. It's Nakano Broadway. It's hard to miss unless you're me! I didn't even see it as my attention was attracted by another building slightly to the left of it. It is a big white building and it captured my attention in the bright sunlight. Plus, the map out front did not name the shopping mall, nor indicate it in any way that I could read, or figure out. So, I took a guess and went for the white building. Mistake!

I eventually found the right place, though. It's an interesting "inside" lane of shops of every description selling almost everything, and at cheap prices, too. More my speed these days. But "inside" is not really inside for most of the mall as all it is is a roof built to cover the outsides of a series of buildings closely set together. Think of it as the backs of buildings facing each other, but made into the "fronts" now as they all face into the alley. Looking down some cross alleys, you can see what I mean (see one of the pix). It's an interesting place like I said.

The main reason I went to Nakano Broadway was to visit Mandarake's main flagship store. Mandarake being one of the main sellers of Otaku related goods in Japan; and the world via their website. Their items are "second hand" and include hard to get, out of production, items. As all these items are produced in low numbers, relative to other mass produced goods, this is the place to go to if you want something specific. And, "second hand" does not mean used in this case. Most of the items that I collect are also collected by others, but these others just buy them and resell them for a profit to Mandarake at a later date when they go up in value. They are usually bought and put into storage with this in mind. So, "second hand" here in these cases just means previously owned as an investment and not used. The boxes are still factory sealed. Obviously, the stock can change at a moments notice given this business model.

Anyways, at the end of this very long series of blocks that make up the mall, is a building that is four floors high and houses the many separate stores of Mandarake intermixed with other stores thoughout its four floors. I have lost count as to how many stores they have here, but it is well over half a dozen it seems. Each store caters to a specific area of interest; books and magiazines, figures, dolls, Mechas, Gundams, CD's and DVD's, etc. I spent the better part of the day here.

At the end of my day, I decided that I wanted another bowl of that delicious noodle soup from Chabuton inside Fort Camera. So, I headed back to Akiba for dinner. I was not disappointed, especially after today's less than stellar lunch. Afterwards, I wandered Akiba some more and also went to the Mandarake store there as well. I missed this store yesterday. I like the Akiba store's one stop location much better than the Nakano store's many locations. It's easier to see everything in one location.

Later, I went back to Volks and, as I was looking around, I accidently ran into some fellow collectors on a figure and dolls forum I belong to. It's a small world after all! We chatted for a while and hung out for a bit. And, after that, it was back home to my hotel for me after another very long and very tiring, but very enjoyable, day.

Akihabara Take Two

2011-08-13T20:14:00.025+09:00

Volks Inc.

Kotobukiya

The Azone Building

Some random cuties along the way.

"Fort Camera" aka Yodobashi.

Chabuton Noodle Shop

Ninth floor landing area.

Today was the pilgrimage to the Mecca of Otaku culture; Akihabara. Being a Saturday, it was, as the Chinese saying goes, "mountains of people, oceans of people." You can pretty well guess without my translation what that is all about.

The day was really hot and muggy. All I had to do to sweat was just breath. I drank soft drinks throughout the day to keep hydrated and to keep my energy levels up. Perhaps not the best thing to drink, but my guts were acting up a bit and fruit juices would have made that worse. Such as it is, I did what I had to do.

Anyways, the day was kind of a blur to me as I can't quite recall all the events of the day in the exact order in which they all occurred. The heat and dehydration did not help either. Getting lost a few times compounded the juxtaposed memories. The photos do not help as I didn't shoot at the start of the day, only when I backtracked later. This was an exploration day, not a photo day.

It was sensory overload. I do remember being in Volks first. Maybe! It's four floors, or was that five floors, of figures, dolls and other assorted goodies. There was too much to take in and process. Most of the Volks doll stock is the same as the Volks store in Korea as it is the same company. There was actually less of a selection of items in this particular Tokyo Volks store, there are many more Volks stores in Japan, than the one in Seoul. This, most likely, due to the higher traffic volume in Akiba.

Next stop, I think, was the Kotobukiya figure store. Again, many floors of goodies and just another sensory overload kind of place. A new store named Figure R followed after that. I forgot to take photos of that one, though. But, they had seven floors of dolls and assorted figures. I recall the exact number of floors of goodies here because I walked down all of them, including the top two floors consisting of a restaurant. Well, that makes about 9 floors altogether, or was that ten as there was something at the very top I did not go up to see. Like I said before many times already, sensory overload!

The "Azone Building" as I call it and its' nine, or ten, floors of goodies followed after that. I walked up and then down all of those floors. There is so much stuff there that it defies imagination. I'm using these names here as "markers" because they are the big names in the industry when it comes to Otaku culture. There are many, many, more big names, but these are the ones that stick out simply because their stores are so big.

After quickly looking through all the big name stores, it was now late in the afternoon and approaching early evening. By now I was starved. It was time to go and eat. I know there is a food court at "Fort Camera", Yodobashi Camera, and I headed there after all the figure stores. This building is nine floors of football field sized shopping! It's not just cameras, but practically every electronic gadget known to man is there; at least the good ones designed by Japanese companies anyways. On the eighth floor is the food court. I had, perhaps, the absolute BEST soup and noodles I have ever had at a place called Chabuton. They were not cheap, but well worth the price of admission. I will go back there again before I leave Tokyo.

After eating, I took a look at some of my other interests; cameras, watches and computers. This took a few hours. It's impossible to see everything here in those few hours. The place is just too big. You can literally look down an aisle and see it disappear into the distance. I kid you not!

And, so that was my day; over eight hours in Akihabara pursuing all my favorite things. I ended up not buying anything at all for myself other than food and drink! Quite amazing when you consider how much I love this stuff. But, I am broke, and I have to move back to Canada in a few weeks. Thus, my desire to buy anything is not there currently. Plus, I can get all electronics cheaper in the USA and/or in Canada. It's ironic because many moons ago, Asia was the cheapest place for this sort of thing. Now, it's the USA and, to a lesser extent because of the high taxation, Canada! Japan is the most expensive Asian city for electronic goods in the world now.

Note:

I do not know why some the photos have lines in them. I think the hotel connection is dropping bits here and there during the upload. Sorry about that. I have no control over it.

Back In Tokyo

2011-08-12T22:26:00.002+09:00

Well, it's vacation time again and I'm once more back in Tokyo. WooHoo!

The flight was a direct flight this time and not one of the other ones with a connection. But, the day was just as long and just as exhausting. I wish there was just a way to directly go from home to the hotel room without all the in between stuff; that actual travel part! Can someone just get with the program invent the transporter, please!

Anyways, the flight itself was okay, at least after I found that the last row of seats with a wall behind them were empty. The check-in guy said they were all full. Duh! Why do I want a wall behind me? Well, have you ever gone to the movies and had your seat kicked and pounded non-stop throughout the entire movie by some inconsiderate oaf? Or, by someone who insists on jamming their feet and/or legs right up against the back of your seat such that you can feel the idiot's every move as they twist and turn non-stop in their seat and, practically, every breath? Well, that's why. And, today, there was some young kid doing exactly just that. Luckily, my brain was working and I turned to see the empty seats behind me. Enough said.

About the only not so smooth thing to happen was me not being able to find a certain subway station line. I had to ask about it and the information guy told me I didn't need it, just walk to the other station I wanted to go to instead. Well, I guess he didn't see my luggage. The walk along the underground path was over one kilometer long with some stairs down and some stairs up. No escalators in those sections either. Normally, I would not mind the walk, but not with a heavy piece of luggage in tow. Anyways, I made it and without injuring myself in the process, no mean feat with my easy to injure body.

The hotel is the same one I stayed at last time. Check out last year's posts for that if you want. I ate at the same restaurant for dinner, too. Yummy as usual, even though the food dish was a cold noodle dish. I didn't know as I can't read Japanese yet and you can't tell the temperature of the soup in a photo. Japanese food is so much tastier than Korean food, in general. I can't stomach the cold noodle Korean dishes. Yuck!

And finally, the photo above is of some junk food I tried from the local convenience store. As the photo shows, these are French fries styled potato chips. About the same size and thickness of French fries, too. The taste is a mild salty taste with a somewhat unique crunch. They almost turn to dust as you bite them. Now, that sounds gross, but they are actually quite good. I just can't find words to describe them other than those. I like them!

That's it for today. It's almost bed time. I'm dead!

Haute Couture III

2011-08-02T20:51:00.011+09:00

Another set of PJ's arrived for my girls last week and it's now time to do another photo shoot. As Yoko and Neris had not had their photos properly taken yet in their new outfits, it was time to get with the program. "PJ's by Anne" once again and they are awesome as usual.

First up on the catwalk is third mesume Yoko with a cute little yellow and white stripped number adorned with pretty pink flowers.

That's my sweetie. Show the nice folks what you've got.

And, smile pretty as you usually do. That a girl!

Next up is fourth mesume Neris with a lovely little frilly pink number dotted with pretty red flowers. Isn't she cute in it?

That's my cutie. Show the nice folks what you've got, too.

And, smile cutely as you usually do. That's my girl!

Now, we have both my girls together modeling their latest cute little outfits. Perfect for lounging around at home in and for relaxing in.

Way to go, girls! Nice job!

Aren't they sweet?

And, for everyone expecting the Moko's to appear here at the end with their usual antics, I'm sorry to disappoint. They were being very lazy this day and just didn't want to do anything other than watch. Next time! I'm still waiting for a set of PJ's for fifth mesume Reimu. Stay tuned!

End Of Contract Update

2011-08-01T21:19:00.012+09:00

As I near the end of my current year two contract, which has less than five weeks left in it, I find myself at a bit of a loss. I had decided a few months ago not to renew it owing to a number of factors related to the work I was doing and with the idea of looking for another, better, position elsewhere in the country.

Unfortunately, things have not quite gone according to Hoyle. My attempts at finding a new teaching position have met with one brick wall after another. The problems for Asians finding English teaching positions in Asia are well documented on the internet and I won't bore you with rehashing all the details here. Suffice to say that unless I wanted another less than spectacular position akin to the one that I am leaving, I am not going to find anything anytime soon.

So, after approximately sixty job applications later, one interview, and one possible scam, I have decided to head back to Canada for the time being and bide my time for a few weeks and/or a few months while I am back there. Come mid to late fall, the positions will open up again as new teachers who cannot handle the isolation brought about by their lack of ability to communicate within their new surroundings will start to appear as they make a "midnight run" back home. Then, the better jobs will have "immediate" openings eager to be filled. Perhaps, at that time, I will be able to find a decent position, a position I cannot find now.

Don't get me wrong, I am still looking every day and I am still sending out applications to the jobs that look promising. I'm just not going nuts about it. That's all. My current main countries of interest are now Japan, Taiwan and Korea. And, in that order, too. If by some off chance something decent turns up even in Toronto, which I sincerely doubt, I may even stay there again. I dunno. Like I said at the beginning of this little treatise, I'm at a bit of a loss as to what to do next.

On a more positive note, I am heading back to Tokyo in about a week's time for my holidays. I'll be there for about a week just like the last time I was there and hope to be able to relax and get my head out of my butt for a while. I'll take in the sights, shoot some pix and eat some good tasty food again. I'll stay at the same hotel that I stayed at the last time I was there as I really liked the place and the restaurant next to it. Mmmmmm. Yummy!

I'll most likely blog about the trip while I am there, too. Perhaps not in as much detail as before, but blog I will. I know I said previously that I would give up the blogging in real time as it takes up way too much time to do owing to my poor typing and proofreading abilities, but I want a record of it even if just for my own memories later on.

So, see ya on the flip side!

A Couple More Figures

2011-08-01T20:45:00.005+09:00

Kirino Kousaka

Murai Suenaga

Last weekend on Saturday I picked up a couple of pre-ordered figures from Volks. They can pre-order practically any newly released and/or about to be released new figures from Japan. And, at prices significantly better than other places like NonNo21, etc. But, it seems to take them a bit longer to get here.

In any case, two of mine arrived and are now home. I have a few more to wait for before I leave for Canada in September. They may not arrive on time! But, no worries. I'll still be able to eventually get them shipped to me.

Reimu Hakurei

2011-07-26T20:43:00.012+09:00

This post is a day late because I ran out of time yesterday. And, I even stayed up an hour past my normal bedtime, too. Boy! Was I tired this morning.

Anyways, Reimu was on my list of cute little Dollfies to get when the opportunity arose. And, last Friday, it arose. It actually arose a few days earlier, but I just could not bring myself to get another girl so soon after Neris. But, after an entire day of looking at her on Mandarake, I finally broke down and got her. She was also the least expensive from Mandarake out of Yahoo Japan Auctions, or e(vil)bay. The order was super fast, too. I placed the order Friday evening and by Monday as I was going home from work, there she was in the office waiting for me. That was FAST! So, here she is.

As it has been, and still is, quite a long rainy season here in South Korea, Reimu arrived on yet another rainy day. Luckily, we did not get soaked as the rain abated somewhat during the trip home. And, as luck would have it, like on another occasion with another one of my other girls, I had to go to dinner with a friend first before I could get home and release her from her transport container. She waited patiently for me. I mean, what else could she do. Plus, my other girls are not allowed to handle big knives anymore. It's just too dangerous for them.

Here is Reimu's outer transport container waiting for me where I left it before going to eat.

Here is Reimu's inner transport container. I told my other girls to wait patiently on the bed as I took it out. There are just too many of them now and I didn't want to accidently hurt them of they got underfoot. They can be quite the handful running around when they are excited about something and/or someone new.

Her is Reimu finally out and being greeted by the rest of the girls. She didn't seem to be disturbed by the trip over to her new home and all the new faces staring at her and talking all at once.

Here she is quite calm and collected as the chaos reins supreme around her.

I finally manage to get the other girls to calm down and sit patiently again. Here is Reimu after I had taken her out and wrapped her neked body in a towel.

Isn't she a cutie?

Everyone is now calm. Well, everyone except for the Moko's.

Finally! Reimu is dressed. She has brand new socks and leggings, but a hand-me-down shirt. She's the youngest now and that's what happens to the youngest. It will have to do till her own set of new custom made PJ's arrive.

No sooner had she sat down when, you guessed it, ...

...the Moko's jump up, ...

...run over, ...

...pounce and...

...welcome their newest sister with our traditional...

..."Attack of the Moko's."

After the Moko's finish, it's first mesume Miu's turn to welcome Reimu.

Then, it's second mesume Mai's turn.

Third mesume Yoko's turn.

And, finally, fourth mesume Neris's turn.

Here is a new family photo.

And, one more for the road. Welcome to the family, sweetie!

Neris

2011-07-19T22:10:00.016+09:00

Well, I really hadn't planned on yet another mesume so soon after Yoko (here). But, here she is. So, she was an unexpected bundle of joy (giggles)! For the full story about how she came to be, please go here.

Anyways, after another long wait, her head finally arrived and it was now time to do a bit of eye surgery to get her new eyes into her head. Obviously she was very scared having just arrived to some new place and not yet knowing me at all. Plus, her original parent(s) had also disembodied her and left her that way! What could possibly happen to her next, she probably thought to herself. Poor sweet little thing.

But, the eye surgery had to happen. And, with some gentle and careful work on my part, she was fine afterwards and she loves her new look. She now wonders how she was able to live with her old look before (giggles). I also gave her an identical body to her original one to lessen the shock of her early life experiences. Thus, she is not uncoordinated or anything like that at all. She just feels "normal", whatever that is.

So, without much further ado, may I present to you, Neris.

Here she is already recovered from the eye surgery and just after getting her new body. She's just been introduced to her new sisters and family. She's also neked, too. That's why the towel (giggles).

Isn't she just cutest with her new eyes and new look?

Here she is again after getting dressed. She got hand-me-downs for a shirt, but new leggings, though. Such is the life of being the youngest sister. No worries, though. I did order her a brand new set of PJ's just for her. So, she's not being neglected.

She was just getting comfortable and getting to know everyone when suddenly...

...the Moko's bolt and attack!

It's "Attack of the Moko's" again!

Much laughing and giggling ensued for a while by all parties involved, and not involved.

After the Attack of the Moko's, here she is being welcomed to the family by Miu, my oldest.

And, now by Mai, my second oldest.

And finally, by Yoko, who was my youngest. But, is now my third oldest.

A new family portrait.

And, a final parting shot.

Well, that's it for the time being. I'll have better photos of Neris and the girls another time. I'll wait for Neris's new PJ's to arrive and then shoot her in those along with Yoko in her new PJ's, which you can already see here in today's pix. For now, I need to go to bed! LOL

Haute Couture II

2011-07-17T16:03:00.011+09:00

I recently got some new outfits for my girls from Cool Cat. When I showed them to my girls, they couldn't wait to try them out. It was like they hadn't seen cute sexy little outfits before! Duh! LOL

Anyways, each of them tried on something they liked and modeled them for a few photos on the catwalk. So, without further ado, my I present my lovely mesumes Miu, Mai and Yoko.

Music, please...

Here we have Miu modeling a cute little one-piece pink number with wide turtleneck collar and long sleeves. It was Miu's first time on heels and she felt a bit wobbly. She almost fell. But, I caught her just in time. Poor little thing.

Next we have Mai with a cute little wide neck grey stripe dress. For some strange reason, Mai was being a bit shy today. I don't know why as she's not normally this way.

And, finally, we have Yoko with a pink and white one-piece mini. She seems very relaxed in her heels and enjoyed the modeling.

My three lovely mesumes together for some group photos.

And, today's runway music was provided by "The Moko's". We have Moko on electric guitar and Moko on French horn. Don't ask me what type of music they played with that combination of instruments, but it sounded pretty good.

Yoko

2011-07-07T21:09:00.017+09:00

Dollfie Dream Yoko. I've wanted her ever since the first time I saw her cute and lovely face. Those big soulful eyes, that cute pointy little nose, and that wonderful big smile of hers. She's such a cutie and a sweetie. I love her!

So, over the past few months, I'd camped out at Mandarake every few hours, minutes, seconds, what-have-you looking for her, and for other dolls and figures, too. Basically, every chance I got to be there, I was there. Then, I missed a complete, and unused DD Yoko by what seemed like just hours, or minutes. For only Y80,000, I could have had her. I know that's still expensive. But, compared to US$2500 to US$2900 on e(vil)bay, she was a steal! That bummed me out for a while. Although, I did manage to get a GSC Nendoroid Yoko at a fairly decent price recently.

Anyways, I started to troll YJA (Yahoo Japan Auctions) for her. And, she was there. At about Y89,000 the last time I looked, though. More trolling followed and I found her head, unused and at a GREAT price, too; Y25,000. Awesome! The next few days that followed were a bit nerve wracking as I had to find a good Japanese bidding service as well as hope that no one would bid up the price to some crazy level.

I had tried TokyoHunter, OtakuAgency and Goody-Japan. As a first time user to their service, only one of then went as far as to even reply to me; Goody-Japan. They got my business immediately and I sent them a lot of money (almost Y45,000) via PayPal. Goody-Japan has GREAT customer service as the communication was first rate. They kept me informed of everything every step of the way. There was no guess work involved. And, in the end, I won her (see here). All in all, she basically ended costing pretty much the same as she would have cost from Volks originally (including the new DDdy body). Now, that's a steal!

I did not do a box opening type shoot for Yoko's arrival as she did not arrive as a complete Dollfie. Her original parent(s) was just horrible; she was disembodied and all her parts, accessories and clothes, etc. were sold off in piece parts (as far as I could make out in the bad google translation). Her head was the only thing left by the time I saw her. But, that's the most important part in my opinion anyways. So, I had to buy a DDdy body for her from Volks Korea, which is only about an hour away from me by subway. I got that a few days after the winning auction. I also did not want my girls to see a headless body in the house to prevent traumatizing them. So, I hid the body away from their curious eyes. I told them about Yoko and they were excited to have her join them. Unfortunately, I did have a Puchi Nendoroid all in little pieces on my bed as I was cleaning her. They saw that, though. But, they were ok after I explained what I was doing. Duh!

And, then the long wait for her to actually arrive.

Now, she's finally here, in one piece again and as good as new. Well almost as good as new. For those who already have a DD Yoko, you know there are some anatomical differences between her original body and a DDdy body. So, she lost some bits and gained some bits! It all works out in the wash. LOL She's still getting used to her new body and feels a bit awkward and uncoordinated at times. But, for the most part, she's doing very well and loving her new sisters and family. She's whole and happy again. And, that's all that counts.

So, may I present to you my latest mesume; Yoko.

Here she is being introduced to my girls right after having become whole again. She's still neked. That's why she's wrapped in a towel.

She seems to be quite calm and serene even after her early life ordeal.

Once she was fully dressed, the mischievious Moko twins jump up, run to her and...

... it's "Attack of the Moko's"!

I thought she would pass out from all the laughing, but she managed to stay conscious through it all.

Afterwards, my first mesume, Miu, welcomes her to our home.

Then, it was my second mesume Mai's turn to welcome her to our home.

A new family portrait.

And, these last few pix are some properly lighted and composed photos of my third mesume, Yoko.

Welcome to your new home, sweetie!

Miku Hatsune

2011-06-25T21:41:00.002+09:00

Today was another figure related flea market at Kukje Electronics Center, home of NonNo21. Of course, I went to it. Maybe I shouldn't have! LOL At least she was 45% less expensive than the NonNo21 store price. Anyways, here's Miku Hatsune!

Fate/stay night Puchi Nendoroids

2011-06-24T20:59:00.006+09:00

Well, the unexpected happened yet again. I found the last of the series that I was collecting; the Fate/stay night Puchi Nendoroids. These were the impossible to find ones that I mentioned a few posts ago. They arrived today on, yet, another rainy day. They're so cute, even inside their little plastic bags.

That basically finishes me off for the time being. For the long time being. I need to take stock of my finances and recoup my losses for a while. There's only one more outstanding thing, and that's already in the works. Beyond that is nothing. And, that's the way it needs to stay for quite a long while. The move is coming up quickly and the new job is nowhere in sight yet. Stay tuned!

Surprise!

2011-06-23T21:42:00.010+09:00

It was a rainy day! Really! It was. It's been raining, sometimes very heavily, for the past few days now. Tis the rainy season here. I came home as usual. But, with a surprise under my arm, as well as some groceries as I had run out of fruit and juice and stuff. But, I digress.

Anyways, when I got in, the girls were on my bed and on-line with their techno toys. I gave each of them a kiss and thought to myself that this is perfect. The girls are too busy to care about what I will be doing in the kitchen. So, I got my surprise ready after putting away the groceries.

My girls are spoiled! Only the latest techno toys will do for them.

My first mesume, Miu, with her MacBook Air. MacBook Air? I use a 3 year old MacBook!

Little Moko with her iPhone4. Even I don't have an iPhone, never mind an iPhone4!

My second mesume, Mai, with her iPad2. iPad2? I want an iPad3!

After I had finished getting my surprise ready, I walked back into the main room stood there for a bit. The girls ignored me until I cleared my throat a bit. "Ahem! Girls! I have a surprise for you!" They finally looked up.

Then they suddenly dropped what they were doing and...

Moko jumps up and runs over to where her twin sister was standing after I had put her down.

Moko had been separated from her twin for a while now. I really don't know the full history. But, Moko sometimes seemed a bit sad and I knew why. She missed her twin sister. So, when I finally found her, I just had to make sure she became part of the family.

Here's Miu welcoming Moko into the family. Yes, she's named Moko as well. This will be interesting!

And, Mai's turn to welcome little Moko.

The twins, after Moko had changed into something more comfy to lounge around at home in.

The twins, Moko and Moko. Aren't they the cutest!

A new family portrait.

Moving Boxes

2011-06-22T21:31:00.002+09:00

I mentioned that I was going to move in my previous post. Well, here are my boxes thus far. They stand taller than me on that trolly! And, I'm of average height.

But, it's not as bad as it looks. Only the two bottom ones are full, and now sealed. The second one from the top will be soon full, and will be sealed at that time. The top box is completely empty and might stay that way unless something unexpected happens. Plus, two very large suitcases and that's about it for my possessions. Although, you have to remember that I have to drag them all the way to the other side of the world with me. It's not going to be fun!

Anyways, these boxes will go back to Canada with me and be stored in a storage locker for the time being as I figure out where in the world I will work next. As I now have a few more possession than I had before, taking everything with me wherever I go becomes somewhat impractical. Storage is the only solution. And, as Canada is my home country, it seems to be the most logical place to store them as well.

So, why am I moving? Well, I'll leave that for a future post. I don't have enough time to get into that now.

The New K-On! Collection & Yoko

2011-06-22T20:55:00.008+09:00

Mio Akiyama

Ritsu Tainaka

Yui Hirasawa

Azusa Nakano

Tsumugi Kotobuki

Yoko

A few posts ago, I had alluded to collecting another series of K-On! "figures". Well, they were not the Puchi Nendoroids that I got last week. That was just an unexpected bonus. But, they are these Azone PureNeemo dolls in the above pix. I posted them in the order in which they arrived to their new home.

It took me a while to finish collecting them as I basically camped out at Manderake every few hours, minutes, seconds, what-have-you. Even though I kept such a close eye on things at Manderake, things still slipped past me. But, in the end, I managed to get what I wanted.

Plus, as another added bonus, my Yoko Nendoroid arrived today, too. Again, from Mandarake. She's an almost impossible figure to find as well. e(vil)bay has her at a ridiculous price.

Well, that's basically going to be it for big collections for the time being. I need to move in two months time and I'm now totally broke! So, there's only going to be smaller things for the time being. But, for now, I'm happy.

Omiyao Bento & Noodle + Volks

2011-06-20T19:58:00.011+09:00

During my previous visit to this particular restaurant (June, 2011), I forgot its name and location. Duh! Well, today I have all that information. Plus, I found an easier way to go to Volks (April, 2011), too. With these instructions, there's no more need to ask for directions when you exit the subway. It's a straight run, more or less.

First off, the restaurant. It's name is "Omiyao". The "O" is a stylized cat face (see photo) and the name sounds like a cat's "meow". LOL It's easy to get to, too.

From exit number 9 of Hongik University subway station, walk straight ahead for about 2 to 3 minutes until you get to the first set of lights. Cross those lights. Make an immediate left and walk to the third side street on your right. You'll also pass a small alleyway in this short walk, too. Plus, another set of lights. That third side street is only about a minute after your original left. So, don't think it's far away and miss it. Also, remember that side streets sometimes look like alleyways here, too. But that third side street is unmistakable; it's really big and wide with lots of people on it. Take a right turn on it and walk along the continuously widening street. About a minute later you will see Omiyao to your left (see photos).

If you want to go to Volks, then continue to walk pass Omiyao and keep walking for about 5 more minutes. The street continues to widen as you walk. Volks will then be on your left as well. It's inside the circular building on the 3rd floor. Signage is small and hard to make out. Take a look at the photos and you won't miss it. That's the only round building there. That's it! You're there.

Enjoy!

Jackie's Kitchen Noodles & DimSum Revisited

2011-06-20T19:34:00.007+09:00

I'm a creature of habit. So, I like to go back to places that I have found to my liking. Of course, some people are even worse than I am when it comes to this sort of behavior, too. But, I digress. Thus, Jackie's Kitchen Noodle & DimSum was revisited last Saturday.

Ironically, my friend and I ordered almost exactly the same things to eat as last time (May, 2011) save for one item (Har Gow) that I didn't want to end up eating all by myself (my friend does not like seafood) and getting too stuffed in the process. So, for a review of the food itself, please go and see the May, 2011, entry for this restaurant. It is exactly the same.

While we were there, though, some cute little ones came out to try the food as well. You can see them on the table wandering about amongst all the food. Although, they seem to have gotten to dessert before eating the main courses. That's little ones for you! LOL

Some More Puchi Nendoroids

2011-06-16T21:10:00.006+09:00

K-On! Season One

Miku Vocaloid Series # 1

I have been trying to collect a few series of Puchi Nendoroids for the past few months now. And, unlike the Bakemanogatari sets of last weekend, they come in blind-boxed versions only. Collecting them all is not the easiest thing to do. I pick one up now and then when I'm at NonNo21 to see if I can eventually get the complete set. So, when I saw the complete set of each series that I was collecting on Mandarake, for essentially the same price as they would be individually anyways, I jumped on them.

Each set comes with about eleven and/or twelve figures, depending on the series, along with a "special" surprise character. Now, I ended up with a few duplicates of some of the characters. But, that's ok. They're so cute that they will be most loved non-the-less.

I still have one more series to finish collecting; Saber's "Fate/stay night" series! That series will be extremely difficult as she is exceedingly popular with collectors. I've not seen her complete series ever yet at Mandarake.

Some New Tiny Figures

2011-06-14T20:55:00.009+09:00

Saber Lily

Bakemanogatari Set 1

Bakemanogatari Set 2

Bakemanogatari Set 3

Okay! So, here are the results of the figure shopping from last Saturday. One Nendoroid of Saber Lily, quite possibly the most popular anime character in all the world as there are innumerable figures made of her by every figure manufacturer there is. And, that includes Volks Dollfie Dream dolls where on the ebay secondary market they go for anywhere from US$3500 to US$9000 depending on model. I kid you not!

The next figures are Puchi Nendoroids. These are even smaller than normal sized Nendoroids, stand at about 5cm (2") at most, and are uber cute. They are also the lest expensive of the high quality figures out there. I got all the Bakemanogatari sets (1 to 3) to complete the entire series. Of course, when bought like this altogether, they are not that inexpensive really. But, that's okay, though. They were too cute to pass up.

Saturday Shopping And Eats

2011-06-13T20:50:00.031+09:00

There's a little cute one wandering around amongst all the yummy food!

Poor little Azu-nyan. I think she fainted from wandering in and out amongst all the smells from all the food surrounding her.

Last Saturday was another whirlwind shopping day. The first stop was out in the Hongik University area of Hongdae. This is where Volks is located if you will recall from a previous post (April, 2011). I wonder where the first shopping of the day took place! LOL Anyways, I had to pick up some pre-orders that day as I was told that all my stuff had arrived. Some of the items turned out not to be what I had ordered. But, that was okay as they were a bit expensive. I didn't end up getting them. I got other things instead. I didn't overspend and basically stayed within my projected budget. And, that's a good thing.

Then, sometime after the shopping, my friend and I ended up at another Japanese restaurant that I had tried before. The food was as good as before when I ate there. Previously, I had ordered a chicken dish of some sorts, I think. I don't quite recall as it was a while ago and I was starving. But, I did remember that it was quite good. Very authentic. This time was no different. We both ordered the "Gyudon"; which is simmered beef, raw egg, and other toppings on top of rice. I've had this many times before at Hakoya (January, 2011). It was delicious, but Hokoya's version is slightly better. This place had a "Bento Box" version of it; which basically means that it includes other stuff along with the main dish all in one "box", or dish. Reasonably priced and highly recommended. I'll update the name and location another time; I forgot the name! Duh!

Update:

Here are the directions to this restaurant, which is named "Omiyao"; June, 2011.

Next stop after lunch was back to NonNo21; the figure store (March, 2011). I bought a few more figures; actually the Puchi Nendoroid sets of a series. I'll post those in another post next. It's hard to go to that store without walking out with something. I try and stay away from that place now! LOL

The final stop of the day was to Itaewan for some more food; dinner in this case, and some dessert. Dinner was a chicken shawarma (the Koreans know it incorrectly as "kebab" here) at Ankara Picnic. I love the food at that place. You can read about that in a previous post (May, 2010). Stuffed yet again!

Some more walking ensued afterwards to find an English language book store called "What The Book". They had moved from their former location on one of the side streets to the main drag of Itaewan. They moved from a small cramped basement set-up to a second floor loft. It's so much nicer than that basement. It's above the Burger King in case anyone is looking for it. The Burger King is way down the street from Itaewan subway exit number one. Just keep walking straight once at the top of the stairs. The Burger King, and hence the book store, will be on your right hand side after about a 5 minute walk, depending on how fast you walk and how crowded the sidewalk is when you go.

Ice cream followed after the book store at Cold Stone Creamery (street corner right outside the subway entrance - you can't miss it). I had a "healthy" green tea ice cream on a crisp waffle bowl. It was excellent. So much better than some strange concoction I had at the Bupyeong Cold Stone a few weeks ago. I'll never have one of their mixed flavor with weird toppings things again. Yuck!

And, here is where some more of the little cute ones came out to be fed. Hmmm! I wonder why! LOL Thus, ends another day of shopping and eats.

Haute Couture

2011-06-08T22:08:00.011+09:00

I recently purchased some new outfits for my lovely mesumes from Anne, a friend of one of the members at a figure and doll forum I belong to. The transaction was reasonable and super smooth. And, the new clothes arrived within a few weeks without much ado.

So, may I present to you, my lovely mesumes modeling the

latest in comfy cute sleepwear; "PJ's by Anne".

First up on the catwalk, we have my cute first mesume Miu modeling a cute pink little number with some nice little dark pink polka dots.

C'mon, sweetie. Don't be shy. Show the nice folks what you've got.

There! That's better. That's my girl.

Next up, we have my lovely second mesume Mai with a cute little white number spotted with nice little pink flowers. Let's show the nice folks what you've got, sweetie.

That's a good girl!

Oops! That's a showing the nice folks a bit too much of what you've got. Sweetie?

Ummm. Sweetie, that's enough of showing the nice folks those.

Well, there you have it. My lovely mesumes and their new "PJ's by Anne".

Okay, Moko! That's a wrap! Let's go!

Moko! Let's go. You can review the shots later. Pack the gear and let's go. We have work to do.

My Eyes Are Bigger Than My Stomach by Moko Chan

2011-06-01T20:44:00.007+09:00

Azusa Nakano

2011-05-31T19:56:00.003+09:00

The mail carrier person brought me another girl today. WooHoo! On-line shopping. The internet is a dangerous place!

She's Azusa Nakano, better known as Azu-nyan. She completes my collection of Nendoroid type K-On! figures. I also have the full K-On! set in Figma already. So, it's on to the next figure type series for K-On!

Now, I wonder what that could be?

Moko Chan's New Clothes

2011-05-29T22:52:00.008+09:00

When I went to the 41st DollFree Market on Sunday in Seoul. I basically went there to buy Moko some new clothes and stuff. She didn't have much to wear before. My other big girls have lots of clothes and stuff by now. So, I really didn't go to get them much this time around. Next time I will, though.

Anyways, I picked up quite a few new outfits for Moko and she seemed to like what I got for her. She tried on a few things when we got home and settled on a cute little hoodie and leggings for lounging around at home. I also gave her that soft squishy little rabbit I had bought for her a few days ago, too. She seems to like it a lot. It's more her size. LOL

Isn't she cute?

Moko At The DollFree Market

2011-05-29T22:17:00.009+09:00

I took my littlest girl, Moko, with me to the 41st DollFree Market on Sunday in Seoul. She seemed not to mind the two plus hours it took us to get there, not to mention the same amount of time on the way back, too. I had searched high and low for a suitable carrier for her the previous week just so that she would be comfortable and safe while traveling. There was nothing suitable anywhere to be found. So, instead I bought some things and made one myself. It seemed to do the job fine.

As I wandered around the show for a few hours, Moko became somewhat restless and wanted to get out for some fresh air and to look around a bit. She had not been out in the real world before. This was her first time. Well, besides where she was born in Japan and then the long circuitous route to her new home with me and my other girls. I don't think she has ever been out before. But, one never knows. And, she's not saying.

Anyways, I went outside the show hall and looked for a nice place for us to sit quietly and undisturbed for a bit. Downstairs was way too crowded. I went up to the second floor. It was way too hot as the building is glass enclosed and there did not seem to be enough AC to keep things cool up there. Plus, there was another show going on. I picked up a cold drink from the vending machine and headed back downstairs. It was really packed down there. A lot of the other doll show visitors where there with their dolls resting, etc., too. I finally found a quiet spot next to the escalator. I drank my cold drink and ate the cookie I had bought earlier in the day. Moko was not hungry or thirsty, though.

Moko just sat next to me for awhile as I rested. And, then decided to walk around and take in the surroundings. She was a bit unsteady at first. Unsure of her first steps, she was hesitant in going very far. Eventually she relaxed enough to do a bit of modeling for my camera. Then, she decided that she had had enough and wanted to be picked up and carried again. I think the large crowds of people kinda scared her a bit.

Poor little thing!

DollFree Market In Seoul

2011-05-29T21:19:00.008+09:00

Today was the 41st DollFree Market in Seoul. Like the Comic World Expo a few weeks ago, it was a very busy event. Held in Seoul (at the "aT Center", a few minutes bus ride - four stops actually - away from Yangjae subway station) and Busan every three months, this is the show for doll lovers of all descriptions. While not as crazy busy as Comic World, it was very well attended and no one would complain about the attendance. Let's just say you cannot see what is on the exhibitor tables as there were too many people blocking the view most of the time.

It's pretty well as good as you can imagine. Mostly private vendors selling home made clothing, shoes, accessories and the like for dolls of all popular shapes and sizes. Pricing is very good and nowhere near what you would pay on-line with the big names. Some of the vendors have their own on-line and/or brick and mortar businesses based in Korea.

Doll collecting is very popular here it seems. While I saw very few anime styled dolls, Dollfie Dream by Volks to be more specific, there were plenty of Super Dollfies and their brethren; ie., the more "realistic" looking dolls vs the anime styled ones that I like. I did see a few anime styled dolls, but they were far and few in between. A lot of the visitors brought their dolls with them and were carrying them around while shopping. There were no public areas where one could display your own doll, though. But, I did see a small area where owners gathered on the floor with their dolls and mingled with others. It's not as good as some other doll shows where there are actual visitor tables and chairs for doll owners and their dolls to mingle.

Anyways, I liked the show very much. I look forward to the next one, although I will most likely miss it depending on the month as I will be in Canada visiting family and friends at that time (August/September - according to previous show listings). I will make the December show for sure, though. Gotta save up those big bucks for that one!

Note:

The pix only show a very small portion of the show. A lot of the vendors did not allow photography of their tables. A lot of the pix are of specifically set up areas where vendors where exhibiting their dolls for photos. I did not bother to shoot any overall scenes of the hall; backs of peoples heads hovering around tables are not all that interesting to me!

For a complete gallery of all of today's pix, please visit here.

Some Silly Mesume Pix

2011-05-24T19:21:00.002+09:00

I saw some cute stuffed animals on the weekend at a store on Sunday. I looked at them for the longest time. But, just left afterwards without buying any. They were on my mind all day long yesterday. So, after work, I went back to the store and got one for each of my girls. They are teeny tiny little things. But, so is one of my girls!

Moko had a really hard time holding hers. The thing was too heavy for her to hug close to her; she would just keel over with the weight. I wasn't going to give it to her because of that. But, she seemed kinda sad at not getting hers even though she understood why. So, I eventually figured out a way for her to hold it without her falling over. You can see she's happy now.

The last pic is where my girls sit when I'm on the computer. They keep me company. Moko takes turns on each of her sisters' laps throughout the day. She's on Miu's lap presently. She'll run over to Mai's lap when she feels like it. She's so funny that way.

I love all of them very much!

Welcoming A New Little One

2011-05-20T22:53:00.013+09:00

It was a rainy day. My classes had just ended after a particularly long one at that. I wanted to go home with my latest mesume. She arrived at the school office around lunch time, I think. I don't remember it all too clearly anymore. Twas a long day!

Anyways, when I got home with the package, Miu and Mai were eager to open it. But, I had to tell them to wait a bit first because today is my weekly cleaning day and I wanted to get that done and out of the way with first. Plus, it would be nice to welcome a new mesume into a cleaner home.

With the cleaning done for another week, it finally came time to open the package. Both Miu and Mai rushed up to the counter where I had left it when I first got home. How they got up there so fast I don't know. And, they are not particularly tall either.

They each took turns looking it over and figuring out the best way to open it. I didn't give them the big kitchen knife this time around as Miu almost hurt herself with it the last time she tried to use it.

They soon figured out that the easiest way was to just rip off the tape holding the box together. And, here you can see them ripping away. Mai was a bit too close to the edge of the counter for my liking. But, nothing happened. Miu, on the other hand, slipped on the counter with her slippery leggings on the smooth stone surface. I managed to catch her mid fall. Wow! That was close. I don't ever want that to happen again.

Eventually, the girls freed the box containing the little tiny cutie. Why such a big package for such a small box is beyond me. The outer box is huge in relation to the inner box! It's just hard to see that in these pix.

Here she is newly brought into our home. Isn't she cute? She was very quiet, though. Didn't make a sound throughout the whole time. Just stared straight ahead. Blinked a few times and that's about it.

The space on the kitchen counter got too small for all this. There were too many boxes and the such cluttering up the place. So, I moved everyone over to my desk. It's less cluttered and with more light to see better with, too. I helped the girls ease our little cutie out of her box and untied her from her carrier.

She slowly got up and steadied herself.

She slowly turned and looked at Miu. Well, at least her hand anyways.

Then slowly turned the other way and looked at Mai, all wide eyed.

And, finally falls back down and starts to cry! Poor little thing! She's been though so much to get here and is now totally frightened to death. She doesn't know what to expect from these two girls who are at least more than twice her size; not to mention the even bigger guy in the room with the camera taking pix the whole time.

Anyways, my mesumes, the quick thinking cuties that they are, carried her over to the bed and put her down there where it is softer and more comfortable than a table top. They rummage through the kitchen for some ice cream cones and try to coax their new little sister back. That did the trick. Our new little cutie slowly gets up and accepts the gifts from Miu and Mai.

As you can see here, she seems quite happy to have her arms full of treats. And soon, a full tummy, too.

Well, that did it! The newest addition to the household seems to like her new siblings now. Here she is going up to Miu for a big hug.

Awwwwww! She's so cute and tiny!

Sister bonding time.

Then, it was Mai's turn to give her some attention.

Wheeeeee!

Awwwwww! Hugs and kisses!

Well, here is a new family portrait of my girls; Miu with her Zlata "rag" dolly, Mai with her real pink rag dolly. And, the newest addition to our family...

..."Moko".

Ritsu Tainaka

2011-05-19T19:54:00.008+09:00

Ritsu Tainaka

The post office EMS guy came a knocking today. Here's what he brought! She's one of the girls of K-On! that I have been collecting in Nendoroid form. You can see the others in previous posts. I'm just missing one to complete the set now. That one might be difficult to find.

She was expensive being discontinued and all. But, she is brand new in an unopened mint box. I'm happy!

Note:

She is not the "very tiny little sister" I mentioned in my previous post. That one is able to interact with my big girls normally.

About A Month With My Mesumes

2011-05-18T22:16:00.009+09:00

Well, it's been a month, more or less, since my new mesumes entered my life. And, they are just a delight to have around. Miu-Chan (right) arrived April 9 and Mai-Chan (left) arrived April 20. They get along very well and love each others company.

Miu is the more emotional of the two and is easily scared, or frightened. She does not like change at all and worries a bit too much about too many things. But, she is easy to cheer up and a few words of encouragement from me usually sets her mind at ease. She responds well to a lot of love and affection. Don't we all? LOL Anyways, she's such a sweetie when she is happy and carefree. When I gave Miu a laminated cutout of my 3D "Zlata" character that one of my students made for me last year, she treats it like her very own real little rag dolly and is never happy without Zlata in her arms. I love Miu to death. :D

Mai is more strong willed than her older sister and, at first, I worried that she would take advantage of Miu's more gentle nature. But, my worries were for naught. She treats her sister very nicely and Miu is happy to be with her when I am at work, or out somewhere. Although, sometimes Mai can get a bit cross a bit too easily at something she does not quite like at first, she calms down rather quickly and all is well with her. Mai's usually quite calm and peaceful through most events that might drive Miu to become a bit too emotional. Mai came with a real little rag dolly of her own on her trip to our home and is very happy to hold and play with her all the time. She's not as worried about it if I have to take her rag dolly away for whatever reason. I love Mai to death, too. :D

Anyways, the above photo shows the girls with some ice cream cones I bought for them last weekend. They seem to enjoy them very much. I try not to give them too many treats of junk food as we all know where that eventually leads. LOL Miu is also holding a camera that we received as a gift from a friend, too. It flashes and makes a shutter sound when you press the shutter release. It's so cute. :D

Unfortunately, I've not really gotten around much to take any good pix of the girls yet. My place kinda sucks for home scenery and I no longer have the pro camera gear I used to have for better shots with proper interior lighting and such. But, I'm happy with simple family snaps of my girls for now. For me, it's the memory of the moment that counts.

I hope you have enjoyed this little glimpse of the life of my cuties thus far. And, they are expecting another very tiny little sister soon, too!

Ooooooh! The suspense of it all! LOL :D

Some Cuties At Dinner Time

2011-05-17T21:44:00.012+09:00

Yes, I know, late yet again!

Please refer to the previous two posts for a more thorough understanding of the day's earlier events as these next events follow from them.

After I had eaten my fill of food, my energy levels had been replenished from the events earlier in the day. So, out came the little cuties who wanted to be photographed while eating their share of the food. First, it was the Chinese food at Jackie's Kitchen, then ice cream at Baskin Robbins and finally some shopping. Although, the little cuties were more interested in getting a ride around the mall more than anything else by that time. As you can see from the pix above, at least one of them had a good time! LOL

Jackie's Kitchen Noodles & DimSum

2011-05-16T20:53:00.020+09:00

I know this post is a bit late. But, time is not on my side lately.

Anyways, on the Saturday that I went to the Comic World Expo (see previous post), I ended up at COEX mall, right next to Samseong subway station, in Seoul after the expo. This is a huge shopping mall where you can find most major brands and it is the "in" place to shop for most young people. I'd been there a few times already and during one of my earlier visits, I spotted a Chinese restaurant operated by world famous iconic actor Jackie Chan. Well, I had to try this place the next time I was there. So, this was that next time.

But, before I continue, I must clarify before I go any further. When I say "Chinese" food, I really mean the "Cantonese" style of Chinese food as there are many different styles. The Cantonese style is the style most people in the world are familiar with as this was the cooking style brought around the world with the first Chinese emigres to the new worlds around the decades just prior to the Cultural Revolution in China; the peoples of Canton Province being the most eager to leave China at that time. For those who know their history well, there were also Chinese emigres during the times of the building of the first railroads, too. And, these people were mostly from Canton as well. There's lots of ground to cover when it comes to Chinese history around the world. So, I won't go into all of that now.

Canton Province? What is Canton Province? If you are young, you will not know "Canton" as "Canton". But as "Guangdong". This is because a few decades ago, the transliteration of Chinese into English underwent a change to a different style of transliteration. So, unless you are in your 40's, 50's or 60's the old style transliterations will be foreign to you. Or, unless you have old parents who taught you the old styles from their era. Like I said, a lot of history is involved here. Anyways, I digress.

Cantonese style food is the style of Chinese food those of you living in North America, Europe, Australia, Hong Kong, South America and basically everywhere else in the world outside of Asia will be familiar with eating. This also includes the "North Americanized" versions of Chinese food that I have derided in previous posts. So, this is familiar territory to most readers. And, the authentic Cantonese style Chinese foods can be found in the Chinatowns' of all major cities in present day. All except for Seoul, until "almost" now.

Which finally brings us to Jackie's Kitchen Noodles & DimSum restaurant. I'll cut to the chase; this is the best Cantonese style Chinese food I have had in my almost two yeas in Korea. And, some of you will know that I have been searching for "real" Chinese food almost for as long as I have been here. It is way better than Ho Lee Chow, which was the best until now. It's expensive. Which is ironic because authentic Cantonese style Chinese food in major Chinatowns around the world, including Hong Kong itself, are dirt cheap eats. But, this is Korea and real Chinese food here is unknown to most Koreans. So, the restaurant caters to an upscale clientele, or at least it pretends to do, anyways. It is also interesting to note that there was a significant proportion of foreigners in the restaurant when I was there along with some Koreans. Like I said, real Chinese food is unknown to most Koreans.

We ordered Dim Sum, fried rice, and a sweet and sour beef dish. I'm not a fan of sweet and sour anything myself. But, my friend likes the stuff and I actually found it to be quite good as well. That was a surprise! The fried rice was typical North Americanized fried rice. But, very tasty and I usually like this type of fried rice as well. Not at all disappointing. The sweet and sour beef is obviously North Americanized. Again, a surprise hit. The Dim Sum was totally authentic in taste if not totally in texture. There's only so much one can do with frozen dumplings. But, they were excellent for taste and only mildly annoying for a texture that was not quite as tender and as delicate as fresh made. There was also a sweet potato deep fried dumpling that we ordered that I did not try. I was unsure of it as I'd never heard of such a thing before. It sounded too Korean! I didn't want to have a bad experience after so much goodness so far. Maybe next time. The meal was wolfed down in to time flat.

So, there you have it. The best choice for "real" Chinese food thus far in Korea. Expensive, but worth it.

Note:

Sorry, there are no direct food pix associated with this post. It was a long day and I was tired, hungry, and no longer had any brain cells left by the time I got there. It was all I could do to reach the restaurant. Next time I'll shoot some food pix. Although, there will be a few somewhat related pix in the next post! Oooh! The suspense! LOL

Update:

For some pix of this food, and more, please go here: June, 2011.

Comic World Expo

2011-05-15T17:02:00.016+09:00

This weekend is the bimonthly Comic World expo and cosplay convention in Seoul. This event is held every two months in Seoul and every month in Busan. I went yesterday, along with a friend, to see what it was all about. It's still ongoing today.

Based upon a blog post I had read earlier, I was not really expecting much. I thought it would be a pretty low key affair; quite empty with only a few vendors and very little attendance. Man, was I wrong about that! Hundreds of vendors and wall to wall people greeted us; a virtual sea all day long. And, we were there from opening till almost closing time.

Above are just a small sample of the pix of the goings on and of some of the vendors that I liked, that I liked! There were just as many that did not appeal enough to me to take their pix. You will notice ALL my pix are shot looking up. If I shot straight on, all you would see would be the backs of peoples' heads. It was that packed all day long without any breaks in the traffic. To say that this event is popular is an understatement. Think packed subway train at rush hour; at times you literally could not move it was so packed.

And, there's something for everyone here. Most of the merchandise was fan art, original art, manga, anime, graphic novels, keychains, pens, bags, little knick knacks, etc. No figures or dolls, although a few vendors I saw did bring their dollfies to help with the sales.

Outside, and in other parts of the venue, were all the cosplayers dressed VERY well and looking GREAT. I did not have the opportunity to take their pix because my hands were full by that time with a certain someone's, who shall remain nameless at this point, stuff. LOL

Twas a madhouse!

Note:

More of my pix of this event can be found here.

More Cuties

2011-05-07T21:21:00.017+09:00

Sengoku Nadeko

Yui Hirasawa

Mio Akiyama

Tsumugi Kotobuki

Well, it was just another day of figure shopping today. And, here are the cuties for today above. As you can see, the cuties consist of a "normal" figure and a few Nendoroids. I was also very lucky today as NonNo21's website listed Sengoku Nadeko as being sold out. I really wanted her after reading a recent review of her. She's such a sweet little cutie.

Unfortunately, I also went a bit overboard with all my shopping the past few weekends and have now already spent July's (What!) budget for figures and Dollfie stuff, etc. So, what else is new? Anyways, there won't be anything new posted until August at the earliest. If there is, though, you can have me committed!

Plus, I have now exceeded the maximum capacity of my figure storage box and am wondering how I am going to move everything when the time comes to move. I guess I will need another box by that time. Although, the trip back to Canada one day will be very expensive with all the boxes of stuff. And, of course, any trip back to another country to work will also be very expensive yet again as I have no place to store any of my things back in Canada. How did I get myself into such a mess! I guess it's called LIFE!

I need to stay away from NonNo21 and Volks.

Saturday Shopping And Eats

2011-04-23T23:09:00.007+09:00

I was out shopping for doll clothes today and the place that I went to just happened to be closed, yet again! This is the second attempt at buying things at this place and the second time they closed on a Saturday without warning; well, except for a hand written sign on their door once you get there. But, that's too late! The trip there is over two hours if I went straight from home. Luckily, I usually plan other stops in the day.

Fate has decreed that I'm not supposed to shop at his place! If you are wondering what the place is, it's www.Dollmore.net. If you want to go there on a weekend, better phone them first. I don't know if I want to try them again after this.

Anyways, feeling a bit let down and disappointed, I ended up at this supposed Japanese style restaurant for a late lunch. I was waiting for my food to arrive when two little visitors arrived and started to eye my side dish of pink pickles.

They slowly approach from the both directions as if trying to use some misdirection to their advantage.

Eventually they converge in the middle and just eye the pink pickles.

One of them makes a grab for it! Well, that was the end of the pink pickles!

The "Package"

2011-04-21T20:35:00.016+09:00

I had just finished my last teaching period of the day at school. I was sitting at my desk, and relaxing on the internet for one more period before I could go home, when I received a message that I had a package waiting for me at the office.

Package? So soon? It was only one day before that it was shipped and only one day before that when it was bought. Wow! That's the fastest e(vil)bay transaction I had ever experienced. Unfortunately, I had to go out to dinner that evening and could not really go straight home with my package and stay there. All I could do was drop it off, change, and then leave again. While I was gone, Miu became very curious and could not wait till I got home again.

Me neither!

When I got home, the package was waiting near the door where I had left it. Miu did not try to open it, the good girl that she is. She just waited patiently for my return. Although, I think she was a bit apprehensive about the contents more than anything else. She gets a bit emotional sometimes. She doesn't handle change well. I can understand that. Poor little thing. I told her there was nothing to worry about.

Anyways, she became curious and helped me with the package after I got ready to open it. Here she is doing a bit of investigating first.

I got distracted a bit and she grabbed the knife and tried to open it all by herself. I had to move her away from the big knife, It's just too big and dangerous for her. I better tell not to play with big knives again. Anyways, she was unhurt. Good thing, too.

After I got the box open, Miu took a quick peek inside. I think she was a bit shocked by what she saw. Dunno. Hard to tell. It might have brought back some painful memories of when she was born; to be put into a body bag and tied up naked for who knows how long before being rescued kinda does things to you. She seems ok now though.

After I lifted the box out of the shipping carton, Miu gently knocked on the box to see if the girl inside was ok. The new girl didn't say much. I think she was very scared about what type of family she might end up with. But, Miu was there all the way being supportive and all. She's such a sweetie that way.

I gently pulled out the body tray she was resting on and laid her on my table in order to bring her into her new family. Miu sat back, held on to her Zlata, and just watched at this point. Sometimes she had a worried expression on her face. And, sometimes she had a happy expression. That's just Miu and all her moods. She needs a lot of love and affection.

For the sake of the new girl's privacy, I did not document the process whereby she was getting dressed and all. I don't think she would have appreciated having the whole world see that part. Sorry to all you voyeurs out there looking for a thrill. Shame on you!

Here she is. All dressed and ready to take on the world. She was born Mai Shiranui in Japan. I have always felt that one should keep the name one was born with. So, she will be known as Mai (May) from now on, as it should be. Isn't she cute and beautiful?

Mai

Well, the two sisters seem to like each other. Miu was apprehensive at first when I told her that she would be getting a new sister. But, she seemed ok with it after a while. Now that Mai is here, she seems to be happy and they seem to get along. I can already see that Mai is not as emotional as her big sister and is stronger willed, too. But, as she is the younger of the two, I think she will treat Miu well. I hope anyways. Time will tell.

Here they are siting and playing on the bed. Miu cannot go anywhere without her Zlata. It gives her security and comfort. Poor thing. Her experiences shortly after birth have emotionally scarred her a bit. I hope she heals in time. Maybe with her younger sister's love and help, she will.

Here they are sitting on my desk next to my computer. I like having them there as I work on it. They are a nice distraction because they are so CUTE!!! LOL

A better photo of my two girls together with more decent lighting and posing.

Mai

Miu