Update on the weatha

It apparently snowed this morning around 8 am...but like I was awake for that! Kind of exciting though. I've never lived in the snow before (well unless you count my life as a baby/no memory time period in the mtns, or that one time it snowed over night in Redlands and melted the next day). Luckily, it apparently doesn't snow *too much* here, so I don't think the weather will become Buffalo, New York unbearable style. I did feel like my face froze walking home tonight, though...I tried making different facial expressions and it was kind of hard.

Unluckily, making good quality apartments is not Japan's forte! My apartment is so poorly insulated, I have inspected my windows about 10 trillion times SURE there is something I am missing as it feels so drafty even with my heater on full blast--maybe a secret air vent or crack in them or something---but alas...I think it is just poor insulation. =/ Also, speaking of bad apartment building skills, I find many times I feel my apartment shake, and can't decide if it is an aftershock from an earthquake or just someone from maybe 2 floors up dropping something heavy...either way it kind of bothers me this has become a routine scenario to ponder (happened again while writing this blog-so I thought I'd mention it).

And apparently the South Korean railways are going on strike...so I hope they sort things out before late December, otherwise my traveling plans might get really screwed up! --Yes I am aware that was a selfish wish to make. ;)

Oh wait, one other update--I am down to my last 150 yen (approx $1.50) until the 25th! No I am not actually excited about that, haha, but I think this will help build some character. I think I need a story to tell my kids some day about how I was broke and *lived off rice or ramen (except ramen here costs more than 16 cents! Unfair!) or something for months. But in return got to travel the world. In fact, I think a story like that could even make a good book deal. This is also good training for next month as I am buying Korea tickets AND Sapporo tickets, which=there goes my paycheck in the blink of an eye (literally)! I heard the *broke diet is the newest fad diet anyway. ;) I am willing to make such sacrifices for once in a lifetime experiences.

*Please note the slight exaggeration.

I know you CA people will probably kill me

for saying this...but it is FREEZING HERE. 41 degrees F!!! And pouring rain. OK, I'll stop right there.

On another note, I am praying for the CA fires to stop and hope all those who lost their homes will be able to rebuild.

Sapporo Snow Festival

I want to go there in February. Which means I will be broke in December because I need to buy plane tickets asap, as well as tickets for wherever I go over New Years. I hope it works out! I suppose it can be a Christmas present to myself...

And yes, in case you are wondering, those are entire buildings carved out of ice...

Quick Weekend Getaway

This Sunday, I took a day trip with all the girls from the office to Kumamoto Prefecture (middle of Kyushu). We went to Kikuchi Kekoku, which is a famous area down there to hike around and admire the gorgeous scenery. Before our hike, we ate at a famous restaurant that is literally tucked away in the mountains surrounded by nature. It was really neat, and also had really good food too! I think maybe one of the best things about living in Japan, is it is my first experience living somewhere where there are true four seasons (and boy do these people live their lives by the seasons!). There was a lot of beautiful Autumn foliage, as well as just beautiful scenery to take in that I imagine looks this good every season! It was really special to see the fall leaves, because I have never seen this kind of thing in person before, being from Southern California, only in pictures! Then, we went to an onsen (hot spring). The one we went to was cool because we had the whole thing to ourselves for the majority of the time, and it was outdoors looking over a river and waterfall! The water is really good for your skin, because it is full of natural minerals, so instead of pruning out my skin like regular water, it actually made it really moisturized, almost like I was soaking in an oil bath--minus the greasy feeling! A perfect way to end a chilly day of hiking!

Of course I took a lot of pictures. I actually really enjoy taking pictures (as if you didn't notice!), but when I return to the states, would like to start taking photography lessons and start learning actual techniques for picture taking. I'm mainly interested in capturing landscape/nature scenes. This "realization" is kind of a big deal for me, because I think I may have found a true hobby/passion...and I have been searching for something like this for the past maybe 16 years? Nothing until this has really stuck!

Anyway here are most of the photos I took from the trip (along with wanting to become a better photographer, I am also working at cutting down on redundant photos)---
Beautiful pictures

In case you're feeling too "lazy" to view them, here is something to whet your appetite...

OK OK OK fine...

I won't travel in the Philippines. I get it, I'll be raped and murdered if I do. However, I still might fly there and then connect to somewhere "safer"--that flight is really quite a good deal... =/

On a less morbid, more cheerful note-- I got my hair permanently straightened and have bangs again! I was a little concerned about giving up my curls, but so far (in the 36 hours I have had it ha) it has been sooooo worth it! My hair is so straight, shiny, and unfrizzy! Usually it takes me a long time to make it look that way on my own, and within an hour or so it becomes poofy again--and FORGET it looking nice the following day! But this morning I woke up to perfect, straight, unfrizzy, shiny hair. AND the bangs are way less work this way as well! I guess I look way different as people here have pointed out, but I think I look/feel more like my old self. =)

*Please note the hair straightening chemicals actually lightened my hair up a bit, so don't worry, I don't look *too* much like every one else here with the new 'do ;) Maybe if you're lucky I'll post pictures some day.

Concern

I appreciate all the concerned emails/msgs I got regarding my post about the Philippines. Just know I am slightly intelligent and don't really fancy being sold into the human trafficking industry (my job is already hard enough) or coming back to America in a body bag. I'll be smart about wherever/whatever I wind up doing...

Too many options.

So, I found this super cheap airline that flies out of Osaka once a week to the Philippines for about 6,000 yen (60 dollars)!!! I didn't think that budget airlines existed to fly internationally out of Japan, so clearly that is my way out to SE Asia (that is if I truly have the willpower to save for this proposed trip--which I really really really hope I do), considering other options are going to be around $300-500.

However, this now presents a new problem. Since I have to fly into the Philippines first, before then taking another ridiculously cheap airline to Thailand or Singapore or Vietnam, or wherever my little travel greedy heart desires, I thought I would look into what the Philippines has to offer, since you know, I'd be there anyway. I always thought of this country as dirty and dodgy (probably a lot to do with this country's blatant racism for other Asian countries), but now with some more knowledge of backpacking around it seems absolutely GORGEOUS and UNTOUCHED. That is a problem I hear about places like Thailand, Malaysia, etc because they have become so touristy it takes away a lot of the "feel." But although the cities in the Philippines sound just like the Japanese make the country out to be, it looks like the beaches and small islands are almost deserted and haven't been taken over by tourists yet. And you can do Spanish ship wreck diving tours, or dive with these famous whale sharks that are only in that area. So cool!! So you are probably wondering what this has to do with a problem? The problem is I will only have about a month to travel after my contract because I don't want to miss the holidays again. So, I need to be choosey about where I go. I don't like to bounce around so much you can't even get a good feel for a country or its people. So now I don't know where to go!!! SE Asia has wayyyyyy too many choices!!! =/