Carry On...

This weekend I went to karaoke! I used to go to karaoke about 3-4 times per week when I lived in Japan and since I have been back in Canada I can count on one hand how many times I have went out for a crazy night of singing. I still very much prefer the booths of Japan with the shochu, friends and ability to sing whatever you wanted with little waiting time. In Canada, you have to go up on a stage in front of a whole bunch of people that you don't know which(unless you have had a couple) isn't so much fun for me. Anyway, the point of this ramble was a went to karaoke and got to belt out "Carry On My Wayward Son" by Kansas at a bar called " Crackers". Yes the bar is seriously called Crackers. I am not sure if they are referring to the light, flaky snack that you often eat with cheese or if they are referring to people of paler complexions...haha. Nonetheless, I decided that is my new favorite song and that Kansas is my new favorite band. I swear I should have been born in another generation :)

Canadian Ice Fishing

So I finally went ice fishing for the first time EVER on Sunday. It was a whopping -48 degrees with the wind chill! Joey and Bruno and I left around 7:30am and went to Diefenbaker Lake(about an hour from Saskatoon) to fish for the day. I froze every part of my body, including my bum, because I broke down and went pee outside in the snow about half way through the day. It was a lot of fun though and hope to be able to go in less extreme weather conditions sometime. We spent about 7 hours out there on the lake in a little hut with a propane stove to keep us warm and failed to catch even one fish. I think there were no fish because they would have to be out of their minds to be swimming around trying to find food when it was that bloody cold. If I were a fish I would definitely lay low and try keep warm and not die...haha. Good ole Saskatchewan winters...I recommend experiencing it to everyone;)

My Family

I have a very small family which I used to hate but have grown to love the tight bonds I have with the little family that I do have:) My Mom has been doing pretty good. She is still living in Tisdale. She has had her battle with illness over the past years and is not able to work now but she has been doing better, trying to take care of herself and staying optimistic. My brother lives in Gull Lake, Alberta and works there as well. I don't get to see him too often but miss him lots. My Dad passed away on July 2, 2008 in Lethbridge, Alberta which was a very difficult time for all of us. I never ever thought that I would lose my father at 27 years of age but tragedy often brings strength with it so I am thankful for that. Family is very important to me and I love them very much. There is not a day that goes by that I am not grateful to have these people in my life rooting for my success and there to pick up the pieces when I fall apart.

Within a family, love is the oil that eases friction, the cement that binds us closer together, and the music that brings harmony and inner peace

Watashi wa Kogyaru desu! NOT!!!!!

What's Your Japanese Subculture?

You Are a Kogyaru!

If it's cute, you'll wear it. Fake and bake, hair bleach, and bright makeup line your bathroom cabinet. As for clothes - anything that's short and cute ("kawaii!"). You are the prize object of all sorts of men - but you are really looking for a rich foreign guy. He'll find you out hanging out in Shibuya shopping at the 109, text messaging and sending photos over your cellphone.

Friends

The Love We Share Without Knowing

I am happy to say I got to meet the author of the best book I have ever read in my life!!! Chris lived in Japan at the same time as me and I got the opportunity to meet him through the great Jody D White. He is a wonderful novelist and I think that his new novel " The Love We Share Without Knowing" is the best souvenir that I will ever own from my time in Japan(and I bought it a couple weeks ago in Canada which is ironic to say the least). I can barely describe it and I am not sure if I will do it any justice in my little blog blurb. I am not sure that all will have the same feelings of fondness and understanding that I did while reading it but nonetheless I recommend it to everyone. The stories interweave and each story is better than the last. The book has a truthful, honest outlook filled with sympathy, regrets and above all... love. The book took me back to Japan: the karaoke booths, the foreigners, the bright lights of Tokyo, and also let me look at the other side of things(through the eyes of the Japanese). The cultural references depicted in his novel are profound and the underlying meanings strike the reader as they move through all of the lives of the characters. Poignant and clever, this book had me laughing, crying and at the end it had me screaming for more...
Thank you Chris:) I know I keep singing your praises but it is well deserved and I mean it from the bottom of my heart.