Ninja without a clue

Fried Brain Saturday Morning

2013-05-18T10:53:00.000+09:00

You see, I went out last night, past my usual bed time (I wasn't in bed until 10.30! Egads!) and so I didn't do this then. I could have been more organised and done it in advance, but I'm not, so I didn't, so there.
So, here are a few thoughts going round my brain this calm Saturday morning.

I went for a run this morning, 8km round the town, including the park nearby. There's not much more to say about that, other than it's good to be able to run again, especially in this season when the weather is so lovely.

I love the Under Armour campaign that I've seen around the internet. Teams of women, setting goals for themselves and working together to achieve them. If you look through them, there are only a few that have weight related goals, and no goals related to being skinny. I know it's an advertising campaign designed to make us want to buy stuff, like any other, but at least there's a positive message about being fit and healthy, rather than aiming to be a size 6, or whatever.

There was quite a kefuffle this week when Toru Hashimoto said something stupid, again. He's the mayor of Osaka, and is basically offensive to get attention, which works for him often. This time he said the comfort women were necessary for the relief of soldiers fighting in the war. He also said American servicemen should use the sex industry in Okinawa more, as it would reduce the sex related crimes that seem to happen there quite a lot. There is so much wrong with all of this, but thankfully, the women of Okinawa stood up for themselves, and pointed out that women don't exist as tools for men to use for stress relief. The women of Okinawa give me hope that at least there are some people willing to stand up against this odious man.

Anyway, that's enough for today, I'm off to Uniqlo, because that's how cool I am. What have you got planned this weekend?

Fried Brain Friday

2013-05-10T19:44:00.000+09:00

Apparently, my brain was so fried, I forgot to post for a few weeks. Oops. It's been pretty quiet around here, although spring has properly arrived and the sun had been shining everyday until today, which always puts me in a cheery mood. Despite all the sunshine, my brain is still fried, as it's Friday, so here is a selection of random thoughts from today.

The other day I was watching TV in the sauna at my gym, the only place I watch Japanese TV these days on account of it being quite rubbish most of the time. It was a program about ”怖い女たち”(scary women) or something like that, which seems to be a common theme on Japanese TV. It annoys me on several levels, but mostly I wonder why it has to be women, and why they are all foreign (well, non-Japanese, which is the same thing around these parts). It's not like there are no scary foreign men, scary Japanese women, or indeed scary Japanese men. All that irritates me even more than the shoddy acting and stupid stories. The one I watched was about a 65 year old woman in North Carolina, who weighed 125kg, who was looking for a boyfriend online. Clearly horrifying on several levels for the people making this kind of show. I mean, imagine being fat and old and having the audacity to want a partner in life. The horror! I didn't wait to see what the "talento" (Japanese TV "stars", hired to make the program slightly more inane) had to say, just in case it pushed me over the edge.

I think Japan might be turning me into an ardent feminist, either that or I'm becoming a bitter spinster. It seems like I'm deemed a failure because I'm not married, don't have kids, and don't feel the need to desperately sign up for matchmaking events to remedy the situation (like it's some kind of illness, like the flu). Seriously, it's like living in 1955, a friend's wife was demoted for having a baby, you know, because she can't possibly take her job seriously and have a baby, a woman's place is in the home, people, or in the kitchen, if it's 5am and she has a bento to make. Another friend was constantly asked when she was getting married (she was in her early 20s so, you know hardly an old maid) because, obviously, she would need to quit her job if that happened and the company needed to know if they were hiring. These women just accept it and nothing changes. It's makes me sad and angry in equal measure, what a loss of talent for companies, and how sad for women who would like the chance to work and have kids (the area I live in is famously conservative, even for conservative Japan, so I have hopes that it's different in the big cities, and this is just a "living in the boonies" thing).

To lighten up all the feminist diatribe, here are some pretty pictures from the last few weeks.

The view from Matsuyama Castle

Somewhere on the Inland Sea, near Imabari

The Shimanami Kaido, that joins Ehime to Hiroshima.

So, yeah, despite all the irritating stuff, it's still a good place to live.

My module for my Master's is about discourse analysis, which from what I've worked out, is when lots of picky people get together and over-analyse the structure of a text. It's not really my thing, so I'm ploughing through it in the hope the assignment will be more interesting, as it will be something I chose.

So, that's all for today, folks, I'll try not to leave it so long next time, although I can't promise.
Hope you are all well and enjoying spring where ever you are.

Fried Brain Friday

2013-04-19T22:32:00.001+09:00

On a Friday, my brain is pretty fried, so like to give you a random selection of what's wandering through my brain.

In the light of Monday's horrible bombing in Boston, I loved this quote that appeared online this week.

From here

On a lighter note, The fashion for wearing trousers that only cover half of the bum seems to have arrived in Japan. I saw a kid today, looking pretty cool (to the untrained eye), dyed blond hair and all that jazz. His trousers hung pretty low showing his boxers to all the world. They were Sesame Street boxers (and before you ask, it was hard not to notice, I wasn't checking). I think I have officially crossed over into the age where youth fashion makes no sense. Were they ironic? Or is Sesame Street a socially acceptable program for young adults these days? So confusing.

I've finally finished watching the first season of The West Wing (this whole "working to earn a living" thing really cuts into my DVD time, is there someone I can talk to to get that sorted out?). I'm slightly amazed by Rob Lowe, he looks basically the same as he did in St Elmo's Fire (which I'm too young to have watched when it came out, by the way, just so you know). How does he manage to never age? And where can I get what he's having?

I also read NW by Zadie Smith over the past few weeks. I really liked it, especially because it's set near where I grew up, and I love recognising places when I read things, and the way she writes dialogue really sounds like the way young people there speak, I could really hear it in my head, even though I've never spoken like that. I looked for a review to link to, but the first one I found was, well, pretentious, so I gave up. Something about Joyce and modernism and stuff like that. Look, it was a good book, I can't tell you if it was reminiscent of Joyce, because I only made it to page 3 of The Dubliners before swearing off Joyce forever (although the band The Dubliners are a family favourite), but, apart from the ending not really coming to any conclusions, I thought it was a good read, if you liked White Teeth (also by Zadie Smith).

Anyway, that's all for today, a cup of tea and an early night are calling me, because I am a rock and roll kind of a gal. What's been going on with you? What books have you read of late that you'd like to recommend?

The Return of Fried Brain Friday!

2013-04-05T18:52:00.001+09:00

Please tell me you read the title in the kind of voice they use for old zombie movies! No? Well, read it again, in the kind of voice they use for old zombie movies, it's way more fun. In fact, it makes most things more fun. Really, it does, try it.

Anyway, it's been a few weeks, but here is the contents of my poor little brain this Friday evening.

I've been watching "The West Wing" a bit recently. I know it's pretty old (in one episode, they were discussing the new millennium...) but I'm quite enjoying it. I feel quite proud of myself when I see places I went with my brother, and I tell myself "I've been there".

When we were kids, my brother used to go on scout camp almost every weekend (also, his scout leader reads this, so hi!). He went to so many different places, when we watched TV, he'd keep saying, "I've been there". It's a little sad that I still do the same thing even though there's no one here to hear me, and I'm not a teenager either.

When we were visiting Washington (don't worry, I will stop talking about my holiday eventually, maybe.) I saw something a little odd. There were some food trucks, and a bunch of people from the nearby offices were standing around, waiting for food. A man went up to a friend of his, and they high fived. As a greeting. I'm sorry, but I'm not really a high fiver. Maybe when you do sports, it's unavoidable (it certainly is when you are a runner, at least in Japan, people want to high five you all the time. And, as anyone who grew up in the 90s knows full well, you can't leave 'em hanging.), the same with little kids, I have no choice. But as a greeting? To people my own age? I don't think so. I was very uncomfortable with the whole incident, and I wasn't even involved.

The cherry blossoms have almost gone, there's still enough pink to enjoy, but it won't be long until it's all gone. It always makes me a bit sad when the cherry blossom's all gone. It means it's not long until it starts getting really hot and humid and sweaty and gross. I should probably have some deeper feeling about it than that, and maybe write a haiku, but, no, I can think only of the upcoming sweatfest that is the Japanese summer.

I just finished reading a Armistead Maupin book, "MaryAnn In Autumn". It was a really enjoyable read. I've never read any of the Tales of the City books but now I want to read the whole series. "MaryAnn in Autumn" was about the characters later in life, when MaryAnn is in her late 50s, so I want to read about them when they were younger, to see what they were like.

So, what's going on with you? How do you feel about high fiving? Have you ever read any Tales of the City? Do you say "I've been there" when you see familiar places onTV?

Well, that's that done

2013-04-04T07:41:00.003+09:00

I finally got my assignment into the university early yesterday. Luckily, they had extended the deadline because of Easter. It took a lot of sweat and tears to get it done, but no blood, although who knows what will happen if I fail it after all that.

This whole "distance learning" thing is a toughie. It turns out I learn better when I have a teacher telling me things, when I just read them myself, I can't remember them, which is quite tricky when you need to write them down afterwards.

Yesterday, I went to the public library, it'd been so long, I had to renew my library card. I picked out some books, to read for fun! Nothing to do with teaching English, or writing textbooks! Just some stuff I would like to read for no other reason than they looked entertaining. Oh the joy!

The plan for today is to catch up on the things I should have been doing when I was staring at my computer. If my apartment looks a little less like it's been burgled, that would be a start. It'd also be nice if the cooker didn't look like someone did a science experiment on it. I'll even get a haircut, so I look a little less BonJovi-esque.

It's going to be awesome!

What are you doing today?

Holiday Pics- Last instalment

2013-03-24T13:28:00.001+09:00

So, when I left you I had just been to Philadelphia, was full of bread and meat, and was up to date on how America got fed up of Britain made a whole new country (Delaware was the first state, fact fans).

The last trip we took was to Washington D.C., the current home of the US government (I say current, because it used to be Philadephia, not because I think it might relocate to Iowa or something). It was a few hours drive, which I passed by checking out number plates from different states, and memorising the lyrics to the three songs that seemed to be on regular rotation on every radio station we found. I was a good passenger, and didn't sleep, although my brother might have preferred the peace and quiet.

This is where the Obama family live. Just a little starter home...

The back garden's not bad, is it? Although they probably can't have barbeques and stuff because people like me are always stopping by and taking pictures.

The Washington Monument, which is being repaired because it sort of broke during an earthquake, hence the scaffolding. It's not trendy scaffolding that they put there to make it look more modern, or anything.

Needs no commentary.

There's a star here for every member of the US military who died in World War 2.

A cool view of the Washington Monument. This is where Martin Luther King made his famous "I have a dream" speech. It was also in Forest Gump.

Proof that I've been living in Japan too long. I'm basically allergic to having a normal photo taken at this point.

Mr Lincoln himself. He does look a bit like Daniel Day Lewis, don't you think?

The Museum of the American Indian. It has an awesome food court with buffalo burgers. They were really good.

The Capitol, where the Senate and Congress have filibusters and sequesters and other words I don't really understand. Also where Kevin Spacey is utterly evil in "House of Cards".

The Jefferson Memorial from a distance on a very windy day. We couldn't face fighting the wind all the way round to see inside, so we abandoned the plan and went for a cup of tea instead.

And a very exciting moment! This is one of the Presidential limos. Yes, somewhere in this car, or the identical one behind it was President Obama himself. He travels with two for security reasons, you don't know which one he's in. There's also a good few police cars in front, and a bunch of secret service vehicles behind. It was all very exciting, even if I didn't get to actually see him. Michelle had probably just sent him out to get milk for the girls' tea, or something.

So, that was my trip to America. Not pictured were trips to Target (amazing), Old Navy (cheap, and no one in Japan would know where I got the stuff), Whole Foods (meh, just a supermarket with an excellent tea selection), and Trader Joes (also another supermarket, with some cool stuff, but not sure exactly what the fuss is about).

On the way back, I was in Tokyo, so popped over to the Tokyo Tower, and then over to see the Skytree (didn't go up, it was crowded, even on a weekday, and I thought I'd probably get quite stabby, what with jetlag and all). But, here are some pictures.

So, what did you all get up to while I was away?

Holiday pics Part 2.

2013-03-21T21:30:00.000+09:00

OK, so I did these at the same time, but I wanted to get it done while I had the camera connected, 'cos reconnecting is hard. OK, not really, but I'm really good at losing cables. They disappear into my pile of things that might be useful some day, which is very near to the safe place I can never find.

Anyway. My holiday. It was fun, I went to loads of places.

As an aside, you may be wondering where my brother and sister-in-law are in any of these pictures. They're not in them. My brother hates having his picture taken, and I'm afraid if I put one on the internet, he'll dodge my camera for all eternity and I'll never remember what he looks like when I have to pick him up at the airport (am I the only one who worries about that? I seriously worry that I won't recognise my own family and they will walk right past me. It hasn't happened yet, but I still worry.) My sister-in-law was working for a lot of these trips, which was sad, mostly for her, we would have had even more fun if she had been there (not that hanging out with my brother isn't fun, we're talking about even more fun, just to be clear). It seemed mean to take pictures of her when she got home from work, I was trying to be a good houseguest.

So, yeah, we went to the flower show, and then had the most amazing brunch possibly in the history of time. It was so good, I didn't take any pictures. But trust me, it was amazing. We went here, and had the unlimited tapas, so we tried pretty much everything on the menu. It was ALL amazing, I loved all of it, and could have moved in, if they'd let me.

So, then, we went back to Philly to check out some historical landmarks.

This just made me chuckle in a childish way. I'd rather be Queen of something a little better, like flowers or something.

Outside Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was discussed. Americans wanted to be independent because they didn't want to be paying so much tax to England. If the trend catches on, I expect Manchester will go much the same way.

Reading Terminal Market has great food.

The above one is a beef brisket, the bottom one is my roast pork, We went there 2 days running. Yeah, we needed vegetables when we got home.

City Hall

The famous Love sculpure of Philadephia.

I stood in the middle of the road for this picture. I felt like a cool photographer.

The Liberty Bell. A bell of great significance.

A Philly cheesesteak (the cheese is underneath). A great way to slide into a food coma.

So, are you tired yet? I have one more installment. And then we can get back to the scheduled programming.

Holiday pics. Part 1.

2013-03-21T21:08:00.001+09:00

A tour of Dogfish Head brewery, in which they gave me very strong beer, and some safety glasses. This is the result.

A cool sculpture outside the brewery. Cost them about 10 bucks to buy, and 20000 or so to get it put up. Looks nice though.

We bought beer to take home. Well, my brother did. I just helped to drink it...

Lancaster, PA. Home of a very cool market, where lots of Amish sell their goods. Also, home of very good whoopie pies. Happy times.

When you go to a really good market, this has to happen.

The Philadephia Flower Show, the theme was Britain, but the title was something different, Brilliant, maybe. Anyway, lots of British themed gardens made me feel right at home.

It was so good. I was amazed at how talented the gardeners were.

I joke with my parents that when my Dad builds his shed (he's working on it, genius takes time), I'll move into it. If it ends up as cool as this one, Mum and Dad, you'd better get it hooked up with internet. Don't worry about water and stuff, I'll just use yours. ;P

Maybe this is more flower arrangement, but still, good, right?

No, but really, you are.

So, that's a whole lot of pictures. I'll give you a break, and do part two next. Look out for Philadephia and Washington D.C. as shown by my amazing photography!

I'm Back!

2013-03-20T07:14:00.002+09:00

Hello! Long time no see. How's it been going with you guys?

I got back from my holiday yesterday, and my suitcase is still lying on my kitchen floor, making it look like I got robbed.

Jet lag is now my sworn enemy. If we lived in diferent times, I would be challenging it to pistols at dawn. Might as well, I'm awake anyway.

When I've tracked down the various cables and things, I will post some pictures of my trip. Needless to say, it was really fun. Hanging out with my brother and sister-in-law is always fun.

Right, time to tackle the unpacking. Wish me luck.

I'm on my holidays!

2013-03-06T03:41:00.001+09:00

After a nearly 30 hour long journey, I finally arrived in Philadephia last night. I am officially on my holidays! Yay!

It was an adventure of a trip. My suitcase handle broke when the airport bus driver lifted out at Matsuyama airport, before I even got on my first of three aeroplanes. Nice timing. I could still carry it, and wheel it along and things like that, but trying to grab it off the carousel was trickier than usual, and, let's face it, the whole carousel dance at the airport is tricky enough (seriously, everyone is trying to get to the front so they don't miss their case the first time it goes round, so there's a crush at the front, then there's my bizarre phobia that someone else will take my suitcase right in front of me and I will find myself in a socially awkward situation. What? I'm British. Socially awkward is my nightmare).

Then, when I went to check in, it turned out that I had bought a discount ticket by mistake. I bought it online, and hadn't read the kanji correctly. Oops. I just paid the rest of the money, and the staff wrote down the kanji to check it next time.

Once I made it to Tokyo, I had an incredibly over priced burger in the new Haneda airport, that really just looked like an airport to me, I'm not sure what the fuss is all about. I tracked down the airport bus, and transferred to Narita. Did you know you have to show your passport when you're going into Narita airport? I had no idea until the guy asked me for it. They checked the bus toilet too. I was a little taken aback, they don't even do that at Heathrow.

The plane from Narita to Chicago was a bit turbulent, which I can deal with unless I need the toilet. As soon as that seat belt light goes on, I start to worry that I will need to go before it goes off again.

It was quite an old plane, so they didn't have the movies you can pause and rewind and stuff. All the channels were playing simultaneously, so I ended up watching the second half of a few things before the first, which made the shows even odder than I expected. The flight attendants were all middle-aged women, one of whom was knitting a sweater while the passengers slept, which I don't think I've seen before.

Chicago airport was pretty cool, literally, it was -1c, compared to the 12c or so I'm used to in Matsuyama. I didn't much want to take my jacket off for the TSA scan, but they make you. I was expecting something a bit more intrusive when they did the body scan, the way people go on about it. To be honest, I feel bad for anyone who has to spend the day scanning sweaty, tired travellers getting off long flights, although it must be mildly more comfortable for them than body searches (you can request that instead of the machine scan, but after a long trip from Japan, they would have wanted to stay upwind of me).

The last leg was Chicago to Philadelphia, on a full commuter plane. Why do people insist on bringing a suitcase the size of my apartment as hand luggage? They announced about 10 times that the flight was full and that they would take any cases people wanted to check in for free, but people still kept trying to get past the staff with massive suitcases. The plane was rammed. The man next to me was quite chatty, he's lived in Russia in the 80s on a scholarship and his wife had made him doughuts which he shared with me, so in the end it was a good flight.

I'm now at my brother's, working out Netflicks. For today, I'm taking it easy, all this globetrotting is quite tiring, you know. I don't feel too jetlagged, I woke up at half six, just in time to see my brother before he went to work, but we'll see. I might go for a little walk in a bit, see what crazy Americanness I can find. There's always something to be entertained by when you're on vacation.

How do you deal with jetlag? What kind of things do you usually do on vacation? I'm looking forward to spending time with my brother and sister-in-law.

Fried Brain Friday

2013-03-01T18:38:00.001+09:00

As usual, my brain is a little fried. The name was suggested by Kathryn, but the fried brain contents are all mine.

I went to have a haircut today. It looked pretty good, until I stepped outside. It was very windy today, so much so that my hairdresser tied my bike to a post to stop it getting blown over. Sadly, all his careful work styling my mop was kind of a waste, because it looked like a mop all over again in about 3 seconds.

It has also been pitching with rain most of the afternoon, which made getting home on a bike really fun.

I can't stop listening to this song, mostly because he talks about tea, but also because he has a London accent, and I like the London accent, even though I don't really have one.

I passed one of the guys who works at my gym, going for lunch with a girl who comes to Zumba in full make up (seriously, more eyeliner than eye, and false eyelashes, the full works, must take ages to put on, and I'm quite impressed that it doesn't all drip down her face because Zumba is a pretty sweaty thing to do), which made me think that I may have hit on some gossip, but then I remembered that literally no one cares, so I just wrote it here instead, even though you probably don't care either. It was also raining quite a lot and I was too soggy to think too deeply.

Someone at work gave me some American beer (Sam Adams) the other day. Once I tracked down a bottle opener, I tried it. It was OK, but I couldn't see why you'd need to order it specially. I guess I'm not a connoisseur. I think I prefer wine, or at least I can tell the difference between good and bad wine.

So, that's my funny little brain today, how's yours? What's going on with you?

Oomph

2013-02-28T13:39:00.000+09:00

Somehow, this year, I feel like I've lost my oomph.

It's nothing big, just a general lack of energy for the things that are usually important for me.

I've been eating quite badly, as in way too much chocolate and snacks, which I'd really done well to cut back on. I've managed to gain back over a stone in weight, and I can only blame the lack of running for a bit of that. I still go to the gym, swim, and, of course, cycle everywhere, but unless I become an Olympic athlete, there's no reason for eating quite this many calories in a day. I'm still getting shin splints, and have been doing the exercises recommended by the physio, but these things take time. I'm getting back out running, little by little, but it's more walking than running at the moment, which is pretty frustrating, but, sadly, necessary.

It's not just the weight gain, it's a bit of everything. I have a lot on my plate, as I've said before. All of the things I pile on my plate are there because I chose to put them there, and I'm so lucky to have the opportunities that I do. I just don't seem to be getting going on them, and I've lost a bit of my enthusiasm for a few of them, temporarily, I hope. I waste my time reading stupid articles on the internet (seriously, there are days when I estimate I have read at least 3/4 of the content of the internet) when I should be getting on with my masters, or updating this here blog (if I put as much effort into my blog as I do into perusing others, I'd be a superstar blogger). I've put off bringing in laundry (and not only because I don't like going out on the balcony at night since the time a humongous moth flew in, attracted to the light, and nearly gave me a heart attack) so it just sits there, for a few days until I force myself to bring it in. It then sometimes sits there in the basket for days until I run out of clean socks and am forced to sort it out. I know that's not strange for a lot of people, but it is for me. I'm usually quiet houseproud, having spent so much of my life sharing with others and not really being able to feel it's my "home", but the dust bunnies are multiplying and the ironing is still sitting there.

Like I say, life is a little quieter than usual at the moment, less hectic (In theory, but I seem to be running around like a blue-arsed fly these past few days. Today for example, I went to physio this morning, then for lunch with a friend and her little boy who was a baby the last time I saw him. After this, I'm going to a private lesson over the other side of town, then I have a Skype meeting with my tutor. After that, I want to go to the gym and do the ironing. This is my day off...), and I can plan my days in ways that I want them, at least in theory. So, I'm trying to get going again, but at a more reasonable pace. Clean the place up, get on with my assignment, stop leaving everything until it's the last minute (again, not something I usually do, my usual idea of last minute is a week in advance) and bring the laundry in and put it away promptly.

A random picture of plum blossom, just for kicks.

I'm going on holiday next week, taking the nagging aunt with me, so I hope that will reboost my oomph. Holidays usually do that for me. When I get back, I'll still have my assignment to get on with, but hopefully, I'll be more able to just get on with things, with a bit more oomph.

Another one. Plum blossom is pretty, right?

Like I say, none of this is major, none of it is even that important. Things eventually get done, and one of the joys of living alone is that it's up to me if I leave laundry all over the house, or the bathroom is only just on the safe side of hygienic. I just want to have a bit more energy, a bit more enthusiasm and a bit more oomph.

Am I the only one with this problem? What do you do when you feel like you've lost your oomph? Is it just that time of year?

I'll be back tomorrow, with Fried Brain Friday, the new highlight of my week.

Quiet

2013-02-25T14:49:00.000+09:00

It's the time of year. The time when everyone gets tired of the winter, and dreams of cherry blossom and warm afternoons in the park that drift, slowly, into evening. The time when everyone goes a bit quiet, reflective, the year is almost a quarter done, and what have I done with that time?

Proof that spring is on its way

For me, it's the time of year when I have some time off, I still have to work, and my master's degree hangs over my head like a nagging aunt, "you're going out, again!", but things have slowed down a lot for a while. Soon, I'll take a trip, which I've been looking forward to so much. I'll take my master's work with me, the nagging aunt doesn't like to be left behind, but I'll work on it in between fun, holiday things.

I took the nagging aunt to a cafe, but the sun was too strong for me to see my screen properly

I've been trying to go running a bit, I've signed up for a 10k at the end of May, the one I go to every year, so I will slowly build up, in between physio appointments and exercises, and aim to finish with no particular time in mind.

Then, soon, spring will be here, in all its pink, and soon behind it will be summer, when we'll all go quiet again, sheltering in the air conditioning, scared to go out in the midday sun.

Fried Brain Friday

2013-02-22T18:19:00.001+09:00

The idea for the name came from Kathryn, but the ideas are all the product of my fried little brain.

I loved doing a giveaway this week. It was kind of exciting waiting to see who would enter, and what they would say. Oh, who am I kidding? It was the highlight of my week! It was awesome! I have to decide what else I can do to make my blog more interesting. I especially enjoyed comments from people I don't usually hear from, so don't be shy, leave a nice comment, it really makes my day!

I've been gripped by the Oscar Pistorious bail hearing all week. I really want him to be telling the truth (he wouldn't really be "innocent", but he would have shot Reeva by mistake)but his version of what happened seems pretty unbelievable. On the other hand, the prosecution evidence seems pretty sketchy and ill thought out (not reading the whole label on a bottle that you're using as evidence that the accused was on steroids seems a little remiss. The defence claims it was a herbal remedy often used by athletes). The amount of detail released simply to decide about bail seems excessive, not to mention the photos from the court room (you can take pictures in court in the UK, we have quaint little sketches instead), so I'll be interested to see what's decided later this evening. It seems unlikely that such a high profile athlete in such a high profile case would be able to jump bail, I mean, really, how far would he get?

I've had a gross cold all week. No fever or anything, just a bit of a cough and a runny nose, which was lovely for my students... I've literally been to work, come home, had a nap and then watched TV for the evening. The latest I've got to bed is 9pm. Rock n Roll right there.

I'll got a bit of time off coming up, but I've got an assignment due at the end of March, so it will be a case of head down, bum up for the month of March. I enjoy the reading for the course, but not really the writing. As you can probably tell from my blog, my text organisation isn't great, so I have to take my time with planning and thinking, rather than jumping in feet first, like I usually do.

Maria left a comment asking about a mayonnaise-like sauce a Japanese guest left at her house. Maria, from your description, it is mayonnaise, Japanese mayo has a different taste. The pancake you described is okonomiyaki, and the mayo goes on the top with a brown sauce. I use it in a sandwich with chicken, and it's my favourite filling lately.

So, how has your week been? What have you done? Where have you been? Tell me tell me!

Results!

2013-02-21T17:58:00.001+09:00

I know you've all been on tenderhooks all week, wondering who won The Giveaway (clearly, it deserves capitals).

Well, the winner is........

{Drumroll}

Sara from Sara in le Petit Village!

It was the clever use of "bejesus" that got me, I have to say. It just reminds me of the Irish relatives.

So, Sara, I'll be in touch for an address and you can have hours of fun running around le Petit Village!

I did enjoy reading the comments. Well, some more than others, if I'm honest. I was less chuffed to learn that TG had been under the impression that I'm a man for about a year. Mind you, every could and it's silver lining. I'm now aware that I need a new profile photo, one with lots of pink and bows to make sure everyone knows I'm a woman. I also learned to check the envelope if Creepo is giving a cash gift, as he doesn't get why people don't just give an empty, but very pretty, envelope. I'm excited to see what Sara Louise does with said envelope.

Anyway, thank you all for entering. I'll be back tomorrow with "Fried Brain Friday".

Give Away!

2013-02-17T22:05:00.000+09:00

Lots of people have a strange fascination with the weird little things you find in Japan, you know, little teeny tiny packets of things that you need teeny tiny little hands to open. I'm no different. I love a wander around the conbini, looking at the random objects, and generally wasting hours and hours of my time.

I decided I would collect a random selection for you, dear readers,~~to give me an excuse to spend ages perusing the conveience store instead of doing productive things~~ to share they joy of the conbini with you. I have hand selected (they don't have robots to do that for you, not yet, at least not out here in the country) a range of goods. See.

From left to right: a wedding gift card that was too pretty to resist, some special cloths for cleaning your glasses (or your sunglasses, if you have good eyesight), a teeny tiny toothbrush set, a face mask (an essential winter item in Japan, but also useful for avoiding lipstick smudges or when you have random bad breath, or even just for kicks around the house, but maybe not in your local supermarket, they might be worried it was an alien invasion) some little note cards, a Big Thunder chocolate bar, and some crispy almond chocolates.
I racked my poor little brain all day for a question, but, as it's Sunday, it had requested the day off and refused to go back into operation. So, leave a comment with the question you think I should have asked for the giveaway, and I will choose the one that entertains me the most! Yay!

You have until Thursday 21st, and I will choose the winner when I get back from work around 6ish my time, so please get your entry in before then. Anyone can enter, wherever you are, which is why I chose things that don't weigh too much.

I will also include a random secret addition for the lucky winner, so look out for that!

I'm so excited for the answers!

Fried Brain Friday

2013-02-15T19:31:00.000+09:00

As always, here's a range of the oddity going round my brain this Friday evening.

Why do the bags from the video store (the ones that they put the DVDs in) always smell? Can they not Fabreeze them? I hate having a stinky smoky bag in my house, but they'll never let me take the DVDs without them.

Kind of continues from the last one, but why don't we call it the DVD store? When is the last time you watched an actual video tape? Actually, one of the classrooms where I work has a video player, but that's because it probably hasn't been refitted since 1985.

I'm starting to compile a list of things never to say to a woman, after I told a friend about the random old lady at my gym who told me to "hurry up and get married". She added "when's the baby due?" when you're not pregnant, you've just put on weight. Any and all contributions most welcome.

A student told me the other day that she hadn't enjoyed her day in Tokyo because her smart phone had broken. According to her, it's difficult to do anything in a new city without a smart phone to guide you. I must really be getting old, because I always just walk around anywhere that doesn't look too shady and find stuff that way. Mind you when I tell my students that I didn't have a mobile phone when I was their age because they didn't really exist for normal people then, they just look at me, like "wow, you're the actual crypt keeper". Think I'll keep quiet about the fact that we didn't have a TV with a remote control until I was well into my 20s.

I'm toying with the idea of a triathlon this summer, there's a local one that doesn't sound like it would have too many really serious people in it, so it might be good. One problem, I don't have a bike, a helmet for the bike I don't have and have no idea what to wear in a triathlon (yes, yes, it's a girly problem, but there's no time to change between the swim and the cycle, so you have to keep wearing the same thing. My cute little speedo swimsuit might not cut it!). I am really only toying with the idea at the moment, so don't be disappointed if it doesn't happen. Any advice would be most welcome though.

The Oscar Pistorious case is so sad, for all concerned. Obviously, for his girlfriend and her family, but also for him. He has to live with what happened for the rest of his life, after all. There is so much speculation about what happened, and I truly hope that the truth comes out. So sad.

So, that's all that's swimming in my head at the moment. What's new with you?

Also, keep an eye out for a cool giveaway sometime over the weekend.

And here's a random picture of some plum blossom that I took around the beginning of March last year. If you're hating this long winter, it won't be long now!

Karma

2013-02-14T09:02:00.001+09:00

In this town, they're bonkers over bicycle parking. You can't just leave your bike outside a shop and pop in, you have to take it to the designated bike park, which either involves pushing your bike up a ramp to the 1st floor (2nd if you're American), or down a ramp to the basement. Neither of which is particularly appealing, I think we can agree. There are "bicycle guides" around to enforce the no bicycle parking rule all around the centre of the town.It's not really clear if these "guides" are paid or not, on the one hand, what a lame way to spend your retirement when there are so many fun things you could volunteer to do; on the other hand, I would slightly resent my tax being spent on this utterly pointless exercise. Sometimes, they have a day off, usually following a public holiday, and the cyclists in town can go wild and leave their bicycles anywhere they like without being harassed by an elderly lady.

Yesterday was their day off, and I was thrilled because I wanted to go to Starbucks for some tea and study. There was a line of bikes outside the Starbucks, and interestingly, they were not in any one's way, at all making me wonder why the rules are so strict in the first place. Anyway, I added mine, even leaving it on the painted sign on the floor with a bike crossed out on it. I wondered in, and started to place my order. I hadn't finished (fortunately) when I realised my purse wasn't in my bag. It was still in my office, where it had fallen out of my bag. I had noticed it fall, but instantly forgot about it, until I was face to face with a barista.

I went all the way back to my office, explained why I was back to the colleagues still there, and went all the way back to Starbucks to order again.

So, you see, if you ignore the bicycle ladies, they will exact their revenge on you in ways you never would expect. They have friends in powerful places.

Fried Brain Friday

2013-02-09T00:12:00.001+09:00

In my head right now.

Why do all the books keep trying to escape my desk? When I bash the computer a bit too hard (not that I do that all the time, or anything), they slip. The only thing stopping them falling down altogether is the cabinet next to the desk. It's like the computer and books are in cohoots to harass me over keyboard bashing.

I went to karaoke earlier for a work thing. It reminded me why I don't usually go to karaoke, because no one (especially the person with the bright idea in the first place) wants to/ can sing. So you all sit there, listening to the backing track, waiting for someone to sing. Thankfully, there's usually someone who's had too much to drink, who has a good go at it. There's also always that one song that everyone thinks they know, but they don't. Tonight it was "Born this Way" by Lady Gaga. When did they add that random talking bit at the beginning. Very confusing. The last time that happened was back in my Eikaiwa days (I say that like it was some kind of era) and we had one of those "enforced fun" evenings. We had to sing karaoke with Kaicho (the CEO of the company I worked for) and we chose Neil Diamond "Sweet Caroline". We were utterly bemused by the "hands touching hands" bit, and felt pretty darn stupid, standing there on a stage (because, when you're in the process of looking an utter fool, a stage is the best place to be), looking very stupid, while lots of people who worked for the same company, but we'd never met, looked at us with "why would you even choose this song" looks on their faces. Yeah, humiliation features highly in my life. It's almost a hobby.

I've been enjoying listening to podcasts recently (while I knit, even though I can't actually knit and end up ripping it apart and starting the unidentified object all over again), and one of my (many) favourites is "This American Life" on NPR. The last one I listened to was about Kid Logic, you know, when a kid leaps to a really strange conclusion. The best one was the kid whose friend lost her tooth. The friend came to school and told her that she knew who the tooth fairy was. The girl telling the story went home and told her Mum that she knew who the tooth fairy was. It was her friend's Dad, and she knew because her friend woke up just when the tooth fairy was putting the money under her pillow. For the rest of her life, this girl had notes from the tooth fairy with every tooth she lost in her childhood. Isn't that a cute story? This American Life is often like that, so I recommend it.

Continuing on from my Beyonce post the other day, it turns out that Beyonce and her husband are double-barrelling their names, so the journalist giving out about feminism may have to eat her hat, no matter how stylish it is. A couple of people commented that they thought that is the best way to handle married names, so hooray for Beyonce.

In further feminist news, Yahoo! reports that someone, who is apparently famous but I don't know who she is and now I can't find the link, has got too thin. Can we stop already? If someone has an eating disorder (which, for me, these kinds of articles tend to imply), how is "helpfully" mentioning supposed to help? In the same way that "advising" someone to lose weight/ hurry up and get married/ get a better job etc etc isn't helpful, neither is gossiping under the guise of concern. If you're worried about someone, talk to them, quietly, and prepare yourself for a counter-attack. If you just want to have a little bitch about someone, don't try to disguise it as concern, be honest about it, you don't care about the person in question, you just think it's fun to discuss other people because your life is so empty (don't pretend it isn't, I'm not fooled. My life isn't completely full either, sometimes that's how it is).

I'm thinking about trying the Whole30, because recently, I've been a bit too snacky for my own good. It seems pretty restrictive, so I'm thinking of trying a week and then seeing how I go, and then starting again another time. Have any of you, or anyone you know, tried it? How did it go? Is it worth it?

And that is all.

What's going on with you this fine evening/day, depending when you read this? What's on your mind right now?

Let's discuss Beyonce

2013-02-07T00:39:00.001+09:00

First of all, if you haven't seen her performance at the Superbowl (some kind of American football game, apparently. Don't watch it myself, always bothers me when they randomly stop on their way to their goal, like they're a bot tired or something) go here (sorry, the quality's not that good, I couldn't find the one I watched earlier.) and see it for yourself.

Good, right? I'm personally very impressed by her ability to swing her hair around like that and not put her neck out. Seriously, have you tried? Not saying I have or anything...

Anyway, she is a phenomenal performer, so good, in fact she caused a power cut, allegedly. Considering I've never particularly thought of myself as a fan, of either Beyonce or Destiny's Child, I have to say, I think she killed it.

That's my opinion, anyway. What did you think of it?

But with every success, there must come a backlash. Hence this article, attacking her for using her married name, Mrs Carter (Not Mrs Z as I might have imagined) as the name of her upcoming tour (well, she'd be foolish not to try to cash in on this performance). Baring in mind the performance at the Superbowl, is it really fair to say she's come over all "homely" by using her married name? I have literally no idea what name she goes by on a regular basis, let's face it, in most circumstances "Beyonce" would do it, and I don't buy this whole "she might as well give up her right to vote" nonsense. Also, can anyone who can pull off a leather leotard on stage in front of millions ever really be described as "homely"?

The whole point of feminism was to give women choices, to allow us to be treated equally and have equal chances. We're not there yet, mostly because of women's pesky insistence on taking time off to have babies, and then wanting to be able to see said children on a weeknight, and perhaps not bankrupt themselves paying for childcare, you know, the minor issues (please note the heavy sarcasm that may not come over online). However, something tells me Beyonce wasn't forced to change her name (I just don't picture her as a meek person, timidly agreeing to everything Mr Beyonce, as I knew him until recently, says), so, in this case, feminism worked. So what's the fuss about? Many women choose not to change their name, especially women my age, who have started a career with their maiden name (ugh, does that make me a "maiden"?) and want to continue using it for professional purposes; many other women prefer to change their name, perhaps so their children take their father's name and they feel like a "unit" with the same name; some women opt not to get married and simply live with their partner and never address the name issue at all; many others have no name to chage to because they're not married. None of these women should be made to feel they have to justify their choice, especially to other women.

What do you think? Did you change your name? Why? Why not?

Also, in other news, marriage in England can now be enjoyed by everybody, gay or straight. Hurrah for that!

Fried Brain Saturday

2013-02-02T14:33:00.000+09:00

The name was suggested by the lovely Kathryn, except it should be "Fried Brain Friday", except it's Saturday today, so the name changed. My brain is no less fried though, so here we go...

There's been quite the scandal in Japan the past few days, with a member of AKB48 being caught with a boyfriend against the rules of the ~~cult~~ band (oh! The horror!), getting demoted to a lower tier of the ridiculous group and then shaving her head as a form of penance. So ridiculous.Yes, she broke the rules but a) the rules are stupid b) How much of life should be owned by her management team and fans c)Where the heck are her parents?You can read about it here. Bearing in mind, the girl is 20 years old and all she has done is spend the night with a boyfriend, the whole thing actually makes me quite angry. The whole AKB48 phenomenon is downright creepy. The girls in the band are not allowed boyfriends so that they appear more "accessible" to their male fans, who are quite often men more my age than theirs, who, frankly should not be encouraged in their weird little fantasy about "kawaii" and yet sexy schoolgirls. If you watch the video she made after she shaved her head, in which she literally begs for forgiveness for having the audacity to have a boyfriend, it's more like a cult member than a pop band member. Obviously, the boy involved has not appeared, not has he felt the need to shave his head and beg his manager for forgiveness (he's in a boyband), or even defend his girlfriend. Creepy and weird. That is all. Gaijinwife's post gives more background and can be found here.

In a week of scandal, the olympic judo coach was found to have beaten athletes during training, a few weeks after a high school basketball captain in a school in Osaka commited suicide because of the beating he's received at the hands of his coach. Between these incidents and the one above, I'm horrified. As someone who teaches teenagers, I can, hand on heart, say that I have never and will never beat a child. I don't really feel any need to. My job isn't to make these kids scared to fail, it's to motivate them to do their absolute best and then to learn how to cope when that best doesn't end with victory. Corporal punishment is illegal in Japan, but it seems that many people turn a blind eye, maybe because they share the belief that it builds character, or whatever the excuse is. It doesn't build anything but fear and resentment, which only leads to more sadness and pain.

Wow, this week's fried brain is very serious, isn't it? On a lighter note.

I went to see Life of Pi last night at the IMAX cinema. It was AMAZING!! I wasn't sure I wanted to go at first, because I thought it sounded a bit dull, I mean a boy on a raft in the middle of the Pacific with a tiger for company? Not really my thing. But then I heard someone taking about it and how amazing the special effects were and how beautiful the story was, and I caved. They were right, Ang Lee is a genius (I hardly ever know who directed a movie, because I'm usually focused on the actors, but I will be looking for his other films too now). The film was so beautifully made, and the 3D made it even better (except for the times when the tiger jumped out and I leaped about 3 feet in the air. It scared the bejesus out of me). I definitely recommend it.
I got new glasses today. I've noticed lately that I have a little trouble seeing small things in the distance, like when I need to check how much the bus fare is, and I look at the panel at the front of the bus. I used to be able to read them but now I struggle a little. I popped in to the optician because I was passing. I figured I'd need an appointment, but I had an eye check, and had some new frames picked out pretty easily. They're not so strong, and only for driving (which I don't do anyway) and that kind of thing, but I thought it's better to have them than not.

What do you think? Not the best picture, but it was the best of the 50 I took.

My Day Today

2013-01-31T18:15:00.000+09:00

I love seeing what other peoples' days have been like, maybe because I'm quite a nosy madam, but I guess I love the everyday goings on in peoples' lives. You know, the small stuff that make a day a good day. So, I thought I would show you my average day, nothing fancy but a few good things nevertheless.

It started with breakfast TV, which I don't really understand but hope to one day. Please ignore my pile of stuff in front of the TV, it's a selection of things I don't want to lose but haven't found a safe place I won't forget about yet.

And, of course, breakfast in my pajamas, because I'm a bit of a messy eater and don't want to get my work clothes messed up before I even leave the house. Obviously, I spilled porridge on the pajamas, and so they are in the washing machine as we speak.

Then, it was off to work on my bicycle, dodging the high school kids and trying not to crash into anyone. I was running slightly later than usual, so I hit the morning rush to school, which I usually avoid by leaving too early.
I obviously had to do some work stuff for the next few hours, but I didn't take pictures of that because it's the most boring thing ever. Needless to say, I did some teacher type stuff and had a jolly productive day of employment.

I paused for lunch at my desk, which was veggie chili, but I couldn't finish it, so I left a bit of the rice. Then I got back to work.

After work, I popped into the import store, which is a veritable treasure trove of bits and pieces. Sadly, they didn't have the tea I was after (Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime, the name is naff but it's really good and really does make me feel sleepy)

I soon got over the absence of the tea I like, dealing with it by buying things I had not gone there to buy. Kaldi is the best place to buy cheese in these here parts, but it's usually an insane amount of money. This Gouda and Red Cheddar (do they mean Red Leicester?) weren't too pricey, so I treated myself.

I also enjoyed looking around at other stuff, and loved this shrimp something or other. In case you can't see in the picture clearly, the first letter is a "b". As if there wasn't enough of all that in the world already.

On my way home, I saw this building being demolished. As is always the way, I can't for the life of me remember what was there before, but I am always fascinated by the insides of buildings being knocked down. Like they've been caught unawares....

The sun was starting to set as I made my merry way home.

It looked good reflecting off the gravestones,

but it looked even better over the river with very little water, as I crossed over it.

So, then, I'm home, I've had a sandwich with some bacon and a bit of the cheese I bought. I should probably track down some kind of vegetable to go with it, and maybe a cup of tea. Now, I'm going to do a bit of reading for my masters and then, after that, I'll go to the gym and do a few weights and a bit of time on the cross trainer.

So, that was my day. How was yours?

Don't tell me what to do

2013-01-27T16:59:00.002+09:00

So, recently, I've noticed a new thing in magazines and online. The "you always have time to workout" phenomenon.

Don't get me wrong, I think it's important to find time, as much as possible, to exercise and generally take care of your health. I also truly believe that people feel better in general when they eat well and move a bit, really I do. I also know that quality is far more important than quantity in these things, so 3 hours of half hearted bumbling on the treadmill is probably less beneficial (or certainly not as efficient) as 30 minutes of jogging, swimming or aerobics, depending on your personal health and fitness. (Something I witness every time I go to the gym, where this one lady halfheartedly joins every class in the evening, from about 7pm to 11pm, I reckon I burn more calories walking the 5 minutes to the gym from my house)

On top of all that, I am also aware that many people make excuses for all sorts of things, claiming they're "too busy". I, myself, will continue to claim I'm too busy to clean the bathtub I never use until I'm too old and decrepit to need to be responsible for the state of the stupid thing.

The fact is, I'm not that busy, not really, I have a fair amount of control over my schedule, which means that I make it to the gym a few times a week and still have time to dedicate to reading nonsense online. But then, I don't have children, a partner, a business, I'm not a neighbourhood committee member, a volunteer firefighter nor do I participate in any other such worthy, yet time-consuming, activity. Of course I can manage a workout. But I'm not everyone.

These articles that bang on about how people absolutely have time for the gym, and are, basically, lazy blighters if they don't make time, irritate me. Who are these writers to dictate to others? They don't know my schedule, or your schedule, or anyone else's for that matter. Sometimes, just not feeling like going for a run is a perfectly legitimate reason. Other times, people (me included) are just a bit randomly tired and make a constructive decision not to move from the sofa. You might be coming down with a cold. You might have started a new job, have a big project, or you just might feel a bit overwhelmed in general. Your children just might have irritated you so much today that having actual human contact might just send you over the edge. In all of these situations, no, you don't have the time/energy/inclination to do some exercise. And that it absolutely your prerogative.

By all means, feel free to tell the world how great your workout was (I, for one, went to a boxercise class this morning, and it was very fun and a great antidote to the cake I ate yesterday), recommend things for others, but don't dictate or bash those who don't share your energy.

Should this general malaise last for weeks on end, then, yes, maybe it's time for some tough love and a kick in the pants that gets you up and moving. But, if once in a while you just don't feel like working out, no one should be making you feel guilty about it. There are enough things to feel bad about in the world, don't add something potentially fun to the list.

Friday Thoughts

2013-01-25T19:51:00.001+09:00

As always, my brain is fried and here is a selection of things swirling around it.

It snowed this morning, well sleeted really. It started up right around when I was leaving the house, and stopped just as I got to work. Riding a bicycle in the sleet, trying to keep your hair dryish is no joke. It also added insult to injury by being gorgeously sunny for the rest of the day.

I managed 30 lengths of the pool yesterday (Pause here for round of applause) which is further than usual. I was pretty pooped at the end, but very proud of myself.

I read this week that most women over 27 prefer to stay in with friends than go out. I didn't think that was open for debate. It's cold, and my sofa is warm. Also, I can wear stretchy clothes so I can eat more. Is that surprising in any way?

I've developed a new love for coco hoop cereal, without milk, as a snack. It's so good, and I'm good at pretending it's healthy.

I've been trying to make the people around me understand that it is not only Japan that has 4 seasons. I'm not sure what they think happens in other countries, but people keep telling me that Japan has 4 seasons and they're special.

An old lady at the gym told me to "hurry up and get married" (急いで結婚してね。）Right, I'll add it to the to-do list, with "buy milk" and "clean bathroom", because someone whose name I can't remember told me to. Actually "clean bathroom" has been on there for a while, so I should probably get to that before I get married.

What random things have people said to you this week? Share all in the comments, especially if it's funny!

Let them eat cake!

2013-01-23T19:07:00.001+09:00

The art museum here in Matsuyama often surprises me with it's awesome exhibitions. For such an out of the way place, they get some pretty good stuff. Even better, I have a friend who used to work there, so she gets free tickets fairly often and likes to share them with me. She couldn't make it this time, but she still gave me the tickets and I went with another friend.

We went to this exhibition, about Marie Antoinette. With all the Les Mis chatter of late, it was pretty well timed, as well as being pretty interesting. It talked about how she was married off at 11 (if I remember correctly) to secure an alliance between her family's empire and France, which was kind of them, wasn't it. When I was 11, the most difficult thing I had to contend with was going to secondary school and the accompanying haircut.

Anyway, she went off to France as a teenager, had a lavish wedding, complete with specially built two-storied ballroom (and why not? Everyone needs a new ballroom at some point, right?), where she was totally adored. At least at first.

The exhibition went on to show some of her accessories and so forth, as well as talking about her daily life at Versailles, which seemed mostly to be along the lines of: Get up; eat breakfast; get hair done (well, those huge piles of hair presumably took time); have lunch; write letters; have dinner/some kind of fancy ball. Quite the life,eh?

One room of the exhibition was dedicated to her fashion, quite rightly, as she was the fashion leader of her time. Kind of like Catherine Duchess of Cambridge (I refuse to call her Kate Middleton, it's not her name anymore) but with a lot less high street shopping. We were allowed to take pictures in this room so here you are:

They're quite fab, aren't they? A bit tricky getting through doors and such, but I'd imagine the Queen of France could have insisted they all be widened to accommodate the fashions of the time. I totally would, if I were the Queen of France.

And then there was the scandalous chemise. Well, scandalous at the time, and generally deemed wholly inappropriate.

Quite tame, really. Although, I think it's quite nice, and much nicer than most of the frocks of today's stars.

No display of fashion in Marie Antoinette's time would be complete without a wig or two.

Please excuse the weird expression on my face, turns out it's quite tricky to balance a huge hair mountain and a scale model of a sailing ship on your head. Honestly, she must have had it glued on, or something. I didn't feel anywhere near as fabulous as I thought I would in a Marie Antoinette wig.

The exhibition then went on to talk about her loss of popularity, and the affair of the diamond necklace, which made everyone hate her even more. I couldn't help but feel a little bad for her. She's literally lived in a glitzy bubble her whole life, and was actually pretty lonely, despite all the riches, as would anyone of us be if we were sent away from home to marry a random French prince for territorial reasons. Although, I'm quite entertained by the idea of being forced into marrying the teenager next to Mum and Dad's so that they could extend the patio...

Anyway, in the end, as we all know, she was beheaded by the people of France. A sad end for a woman with no apparent understanding of the real world. Kind of reminds me of the Kardashians. Maybe they're our modern day Marie Antoinette, only there's loads of them....

I'd have liked the exhibition to be a bit more thorough, or at least have more available in English to help me understand more. Other than that, it was pretty good.

What exhibitions have you seen lately? Are you a museum type?