a murmur of powdersnow

Canada

2007-02-07T20:26:00.000+09:00

I spend 10 days in Canada in the beginning of Janually. I was on my winter vacation, but it was a kind of professional training at a University in Burnaby, Canada.
The weather wasn't actually pleasant with lots of snow and the terrible coldness. My hosfamily said that I brought the blizzard from Sapporo to there・・・don't blame me on that!
I expected that it would be warmer in the west part of Canada! Because of the abnormal weather, the traffic was out and I had to wait for a bus to come patiently for a long, everyday. Apart from the fact that it was freezing, I had a great experience with my hostfamily and the people that I met in the training.
Moreover, it was one year after the last time I traveled abroad, I realized that I need that. It felt like that I could take a deep breath and refresh myself.

And I've got lovely friends there, they are two girls of my hostfamily.

When I showed them a little magic, their cute big eyes were bright and became bigger, hahaha.

Ahhh, I miss them sooooooo much♪

I try to put more pictures of Canada and my thoughts about it soon.

Hakodate

2006-12-04T00:01:00.000+09:00

This is a night view of the best 3 in the world, which rivals Hong Kong and Italy. I was standing on the top of Mt. Hakodate located in the southern part of Hokkaido. It was amazingly beautiful landscape of the shoreline in the clear air, which means it was freezing for real!

Pink

2006-11-04T15:15:00.000+09:00

What is your favorite color?
Mine is .....don't know, I like black, yellow, orange, green, peacock blue etc.
then, I've realized that pink is the color that always lightens up me.
A few weeks ago, I got a small bouquet of flowers.
There is something that makes me feel so good more than the color, which is the smell of lilies.
It is a bit strong, but when I get back to my room and see the color of pink, sense the great smell, I get into the sprit.

Autumn

2006-10-26T20:01:00.000+09:00

The Season have ways of repeating themselves.
Appreciating red leaves tells you that autumn has come and that winter is just around the corner in Hokkaido!
What's worring me is ・・・・bottomless appetite --;

a precious day

2006-08-29T20:25:00.000+09:00

Yesterday was my father's birthday. My family has been celebrating the day even since he died 6 years ago. To tell the truth, his birthday is much more important for us than the day he passed away. One day in November when he's gone is rather the day that I don't want to remember, or that I still feel he is away on a business trip or something.

This pic was taken just 2 weeks before his last birthday, and became the last pic that my dad and mom were together in.

It happened to be taken in front of the sunflower field.

In the lanuage of the flowers, sunflower signifies,

・・・・・・Well be thinking of you forever

I've always believed that he's watched over and will watch over me.

2006-08-12T17:11:00.000+09:00

I guess, you observe this kind of ads along country roads in Hokkadio. It says there are organic vegetables here. You can get fresh chemical-free vegetables at a cheaper price.

Sometimes, nobody is at a stall, instead there must be a fare box to drop the money into !

So, I really recomend, you should stop by a vege stall if you see this ad!

Summer has come!!

2006-08-08T14:36:00.000+09:00

It's been hot hot hot hot!! here in Sapporo, Hokkaido, these days. I'm exhausted(--;), however, how can you stay at home in such sunny days? Above all, I'm on a vacation, Yeahhhhh!

Did you know that you can enjoy lavender in Sapporo? and you can have a great view of Sapporo there, too! It's called "Horomi To-ge 幌見峠", a mountain path in the western part of the city.

Lavender is very famous plant grown up in Furano, which can bring thousands and thousands of people to see the wonderful, huge, beautiful field of lavender. I couldn't be bothered to drive from Sapporo to Furano for about 3 hours, but I desperated to shot pics of lavender!

I rushed to there after I heard about the path. I couldn't stop taking pics of the lovely scented flower in the bush, along with bees. My friend gave me chilly eye,,,,,gosh! I can't believe there are people who don't appreciate such beautiful nature.

Blessing of Hokkaido's Nature⑤

2006-06-17T22:13:00.001+09:00

My friend and I were actually heading for Lake Mashu. However, I had another purpose to achieve during this drive, that was to see an image of Kussie!! It is a kind of Loch Monstars that is believed to live in Lake Kussharo, which is derived from the name "Nessie" of Lock Ness in Scotland.

My family used to go for a drive to the Akan National Park where the Lake belongs to, when I was child. I had a strong and vivid impression of Kussie when I saw it for the first time in my life, hahaha. So, for the first time in about 20 years, I could see it again! I was happy!! I don't believe that it exists in the lake for real, though.

Lake Mashu (摩周湖, Mashū-ko) is a lake formed in the caldera of a dormant volcano. It is located in Akan National Park. Mashu is famous for the clarity of its water, and the fog that envelops its surface. There is a saying that you might not get married if you see the lake clearly without the fog.

It is too late,,,,, everytime I see the lake, it is clear(--;

From the other angle, you can see snow upon the peak. It was really really cold, freezing! on that day.

Blessing of Hokkaido's Nature　④

2006-06-13T23:06:00.000+09:00

Ummm, it's been a while again since the last time I updated this blog, but I'll still talk about my Dou-Tou (the eastern part of Hokkaido) tour during the GW! Yuppie!

This is a pic of clione that inhabits in the Sea of Okhotsk. It is a kind of fish-eating plankton that uses its tentacles to catch and hold the feed. It's called "an angel of the ice drift" due to the transparent skin of it・・・cute, isn't?

I found it in a bottle of water at a direct sales store in fron of the Sea of Okhotsk. You can't keep clione as a pet, can you?

Blessing of Hokkaido's Nature ③

2006-05-29T22:44:00.000+09:00

This is a picture of Mizubasyo: Lysichiton camtschatcense or Asian Skunk Cabbage, taken near Lake Abashiri. As the name shows, it looks like a cabbage.
We were driving on Route 39 to get fresh seafood products such as crabs, Atka mackerels, scallops etc. Abashiri is one of famous production centers of marine products in Japan.

My mother taught me where Mizubasyo grew in colonies on our way to Abashiri.

It was chilly and was drizzling, however we found many people taking pics of Mizubasyo here and there. It was at the most admirable to look at Mizubasyo in Abashiri district in the early of May. It was really beautiful and a great view.

I was into taking pictures of it ^^

Blessing of Hokkaido's Nature　②

2006-05-18T18:48:00.000+09:00

Before we went to the eastern part of Hokkaido, we stopped at Asahiyama Zoo. The zoo has made a record gate since it achieved a turnaround, actually the attendance of this zoo is more than any other zoos in Japan!

There are not rare animals like a panda, a koala in this zoo, which normally attract a lot of people. However, it has a warm atmosphere that makes probably you think that the distance between animals and the visitors is near. Although they've set up fences around animals, they've got good ideas to create a sense of affinity to the animals.

Blessing of Hokkaido's Nature ①

2006-05-14T13:13:00.000+09:00

How was your GOLDEN WEEK?
I had a friend from Nagoya who actually visited Hokkaido for the first time in her life. She had great expectations of appreciating the nature of Hokkaido, including the food. I was wondering where I coud show her around, coz Hokkadido is huge! Even within Sapporo, it'd take a few days to go sightseeing if you take an in depth look at the town. So, it was impossible for me to make her wish come true, which was to travel around all over Hokkaido during GW, coz I just had 5-days off in a row as the calender said (Some could take 9 days off in a row from the 29th of April to the 7th of May by taking 2 days off on the first and the second of May! I envied them･･･)

I suggested to her that we would spend a couple of days to drive around the eastern part of Hokkaido, where my hometown exsits, then take the rest of days to walk around Sapporo and Otaru. She'd already been to Hakodate by herself, in the southern part of Hokkaido, in the first half of the GW, while I had to work.

On the 4 th of May, we started our tirp to the east!

First of all, we needed to have a good meal to off to a good start (^w^)

This pic is a bowl of soba noodle with a sardine that we had at a drive-in on our way.

Hello to All

2006-05-13T10:19:00.000+09:00

Hi! How have you been?
It's been more than a month since the last time I updated this blog......
I've been extremely busy working and going places, ^^;

So, there have been a lot of pics that I want to post on here !
Ahh, actually, there are too many pics to pick up ones to show.

Well, pleasant season to visit Sapporo has come finally, as the sakura, Japanese cherry blossomes are at their best now, about a month later than that in the Tokyo area.

I went to a river terrace near my place to take this pic ↓ in the evening. The sakura in the twilight was really beautiful, it was windy and chilly though.

ROBA ROBA Cafe

2006-03-24T21:24:00.000+09:00

There was a cafe that I really wanted to go in Tokyo. It's ROBA ROBA Cafe . It locates in a shopping street in Kyodo, which I mentioned before.

I found about the cafe in a magazine for shutter bug, "Kamera Biyori - Life with Camera".
The magazine has introduced that the cafe provides gallery space with artists. I was expecting of seeing a photo exhibition.

Unfortunately, it didn't display any photos. It was an exhibition of plates and spoon for curry when I visited there (^^;)ヾ

Apart from the exhibiton, I had a lovely and relaxing time in the cafe with my friend. There were many lovely goods sold in it, such as tiny books called "Mame Bon -beans book-", and postcards with cute picture, hand-made candles that had a lot of pretty colors, etc. The cafe collaborates with a variety of artists.

The cafe isn't that large with a bar for a drink, but it has created a space for relaxation as if time goes very slow in there.

I had a terrible image of Tokyo that it was the city where cold and bad people lived and it was rather a foreign country for me. I can laugh about that now, though.
For what it is worth, I felt happy and my heart healing when I saw old ladys chatting outside, clothes being dried in the sun, and a tall chimney of a sento(public bath) in the shopping district near the station(Kyodou).
I'm glad that I've found the place in Tokyo where I could feel the people's life and warmth.

Click this pic! you can see a dog watching you♪　→

Vietnam⑥

2006-03-18T17:50:00.000+09:00

There are more stuff that I want to show you about my Vietnam trip.

I got clothes tailored in Ho Chi Minh City.
It is popular among Japanese to get custom-made clothes in Vietnam, coz it's much cheaper than get ready-made clothes, and it's fun that you can pick up fabrics you like from local markets and designe your own dresses, which are going to be the only ones in the world.

The first one is an one-piece made of smooth satin with pearly luster. The one-piece dress fits me very well and makes me look elegant.
So, I'll look forward to having a special occaision to put it on! maybe for a wedding party.

The second one is a kind of loose blouse made of sheer silk. It is really tender and pleasant to the touch. It goes well with either jeans and formal wear.

It was a great experience to hold a frank exchange of views on what I wanted with Vietnamese staff.
I'm very satisfied with the outcome.

Chihuahua?

2006-03-16T20:58:00.000+09:00

Look at this cute creature......something weird with this chihuahua.

Hahaha-someone drew its eyebrows!
I saw it was cute, um? rather funny, at the first sight. I couldn't stop taking pictures of it. Then, a guy standing next to it started talking to me in Vietnamese. All I could was just smiling.
Yup, I was in Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam, last week♪

He was tring to say with gestures that it was the woman over there who had drawn the eyebrows, I interpreted. And I noticed that she was waving to me with a big smile and proud expression(^^;)

She had the same eyebrows on her face!!
What a charming lady!

I've come to like Vietnam very much. That people, the food and the city itself that has a nostalgic air.

Oh, by the way, that dog isn't a chihuahua. It is a miniature pinscher-★

Mocha Harrar

2006-03-07T23:04:00.000+09:00

I went to Tokyo last weekend.
I had a wonderful time there by wandering in a small town called "Kyodo" on the Odakyu-line.

I happened to find "Mocha Harra", which is a kind of coffee that I had been looking for.
Ummm, smells nice. actually, too strong. But I'm happy! I am addicted to coffee.

I haven't opened it yet. I'll wait for a special occasion to drink the coffee♪

Oh, I made a coffee Bavarian cream, coz I had to use the leftover of whipped cream that I'd used for a cake, which I'd made for my friend in Tokyo who had just engaged!
Congratulations~*

Snowboarding !

2006-02-26T11:28:00.000+09:00

I went to Sapporo International Ski Area for snowboarding yesterday.
Since it has been snowing, snowing, snowing, the condition of the area is magnificent. Moreover, the challenging level of the slopes is right for me, I guess.

It was so good day that I could see the Sea of Japan over the mountains! The panoramic view was breathtaking landscape.

I got a hustle on too much actually, my muscle are sore at the moment.

Let's stay inside today. maybe, I'm going to make a cake later on~*

an apple cake that I made the day before yesterday ☆→→→

St.Valentine's Day

2006-02-16T00:33:00.000+09:00

2 days after St. Valentine's Day.
How did you spend that day?
I hope you had a lovely day.

Me? I made brownies! for friends, people who help me at work, and myself.

Now, I am a great confectioner (*v*)ヾ

Hand-made Gyoza

2006-02-12T12:16:00.000+09:00

I was inspired again to cook!
I was out for some errands all day long yersterday. On my way back home, I was a little bit hungry and I became to want to have GYOZA. I was wondering whether I'd eat out or I'd make it by myself.

I've established a GYOZA CLUB with my co-workers who love gyoza, so we have been to several nice gyoza shops or restaurants where we could find delicious gyoza together. However, I didn't have the courage to go for one of them alone. Umm, Gyoza isn't kind of food that women want to eat alone in any shops, I suppose.

So, that fact (or my assumption) fueled the spark of imagination that I could make it all by myself.
It all went great! and this time, I made a little change in the gyoza. I followed gyozo recipe but I made it look like steamed dumplings(or called soup dumplings) by screwing up the top of the skins that cover the fillings. Ahhh, that remined me of Din Tai Fung in Taiwan, which is the best dumplings restaurant in the world!

My mouth is watering again～♪

STORY

2006-02-10T19:38:00.000+09:00

Do you know a fashion magazine targetting mostly women in their 40's: STORY?

I'm not 4o's yet, but my co-worker sitting next to me brought the magazine for me, today. You know why? She found the cappuccino machine in it that I'd bought, which I mentioned on this blog before!! (If you want to see the page, click the word above~☆)

It features stylish kitchen-ware such as coffee makers, espresso machines etc.

Probably, there are many shops that deal with the same machine, importing it from oversea to sell it. However, I am happy to know the fact that my cappuccino machine has been put forward in the magazine, which I guess has a large circulation, fearturing elegant life style for mature women (^W^)

So, let me jump into the fancy conclusion that I AM stylin' ,,hehehe,, yahoo--

Vietnam⑤

2006-02-09T19:05:00.000+09:00

I'll show you some of my favorite pics taken in Vietnam~☆

@the central post office

I felt like that the portrait of Ho Chi Minh was looking at me, as I was waiting for my friend to finish sending post cards. Hahaha- how stupid !

@a temple on the way to Mytho for taking on a fayboat on Mekong River

It was built in French style but you see the board with Chinese characters,
which has created unusual atmosphere.

I did like this place.

I went up to the rooftop of a Hindu temple. There was something to bow the knee to and the fence displaying decorative figurine of animals in color on the top.

I took a lot of pics in Vietnam, I mean a lot!! I have a look at them often.
Ahhh~, I want to go to Vietnam soon again.

Vietnam④

2006-02-05T18:00:00.000+09:00

Still, I have pics of food that I had in Vietnam♪
This time, I'll show you sweets I enjoyed.

① Che : iced milk drink with sweet bean jam 　② Dried fruits, my favorit was coconut ③ a variety of fruits ④ Banhflan : creme caramel in Vietnamese style which I found old familiar taste of it like the ones I had when I was child ⑤ Mango pudding that I had in the airport in Hong Kong ⑥ Bee ice-cream, How cute! ⑦ a plate of crepe with whipped cream for breakfast at a fancy cafe called "Funny" ⑧ Green beans agar ⑨ a variety of che in a huge market, look at the colors! ⑩ Waffle at a very stylish cafe ⑪ Ice-cream of purple potatos at a very popular ice-cream shop "Kem Bach Dang" ⑫ Colorful fruits on the streets, I heard that the fruits were plums, but they looked like bell peppers

I never tried anything to eat and drink from stalls coz I was concerned about sanitation. However, those refreshments were quite attractive to my thirst.

If I lived in Vietnam, I'd try....umm, yh, definitely!

I think that one of the main features in a hot country like Vietam is the vivitness in color. Even the food, especially the sweets and fruits attract you visually by the color.

I found more things of various colors and the beauty of the contrast between those colors. I'll show you pictures of those next time ♪

Vietnam③

2006-02-01T21:58:00.000+09:00

Yahooo-!
Here is the vietnam cuisineⅡ

⑬Pho (rice noodle with pork) ⑭Iced Vietnamese Coffee ⑮ Fried Rice ⑯ French Baguette and Canel ⑰ Banh Xeo (Okonomiyaki in Vietnam style) ⑱ Spring roll(?) ⑲ Takikomigohan (rice cooked with many ingredients and flavoring) ⑳ Bread for breakfast at my hotel, Oscar, HCMC

Unfortunately, I don't know the original names of some dishes above. but that doesn't matter. What is important is that I did enjoyed all of the food I had in Vietnam.

Hahaha-ha-, you know what, of course, they were NOT ALL the food that I had-☆

Home-made Cake

2006-01-28T14:04:00.000+09:00

Ta-da! I made a cake last night.
It is apple chiboust that is meringu mixed custard on the top of an apple tarte!
All of sudden, I got an urge to make a cake while I was working.
It was Friday, I'd have a off next day, so I made my mind up! I was so stressed out that I wanted to do something.

It was the first time that I made a cake since the last time I did about 10 years ago.

It took me for about 3 hours to make it, but I quite enjoyed it. I was really into it.

I found a good way to release stress. At the end, I could let the stress out even if it was just for the temporary.

It turned out to be extremely successful-★☆★