pinku

So strollers....

Who knew?! I never thought the world of stroller choosing would cause such stress. I mean it's just a freaking stroller, right?! I tend to research things a little too obsessively before making a major purchase and the only time I didn't we ended up with an awesome and cute digital camera. I chose it on a whim because it was cute, small and hot pink, but mainly because it is pink. Maybe I should change my shopping method for larger purchases....ha!

Before you continue I would like to warn you that this is a really long post JUST about strollers. It's more to purge everything from my mind so I can move on and sleep better. But feel free to share your views about strollers in the comments too!!!

So where do we start? Well even before we had Jake I started noticing strollers in the park near our house and I quickly realized that Maclaren is stroller of choice here in Tokyo. The most popular models are the Volo and the Quest. I thought they looked pretty boring to tell you the truth. I mean why would any company choose to make a stroller in different shades of gray!!! I also noticed that three wheelers are pretty much non-existent in Japan. When I asked Darin about his preference when it comes to a stroller, he said he wanted one with pump up tyres coz he hates the sound of those plastic stroller wheels going over the bumps in the park. I just wanted a lightweight stroller that I would be able to carry up and down the stairs at the train station and that I could take shopping etc.

Hmm, so I started the search for something that would fit into both of these categories.

After doing some research I discovered that pump up tyres and lightweight just don't go together and that there is NO perfect stroller for every single occasion. I also had a change of heart about what I think is important (for me) when purchasing a stroller.

So let's go through my research results.

My first choice was the Mountain Buggy Breeze.

A lightweight (7 kilos) three wheeler from New Zealand that reclines, seems really sturdy and is very easy to fold. It costs nearly $500 in Japan and even more in Australia so I didn't want to purchase it until I had seen it in person. My first mistake was not buying one on ebay australia for $100. When we got to Australia in December after Jake was born we went and tried this out at the baby store and the front wheel doesn't rotate, which is silly because this model isn't actually designed to be a jogging stroller as it is too light. Darin was fine with it as he usually pushes all strollers on the back two wheels anyway, but it bugged me no end. My sister (mother of two) also said no to it and that I would end up hating it. This might have been a good choice for a second stroller to use on rougher terrain. Like I said it would have been good if I had picked up the used one for $100 when I saw it because you don't get them for that price very often.

Next up was a very good decision I made and that was the purchase of a second hand Graco Snugride car seat and Snap n Go base for $40 total.

I would recommend this set up for any parents to be that haven't made their mind up about what kind of stroller they want to buy. It's not a long term solution but it buys you time and is really convenient especially if you drive. When I bought this I had no idea that car seat capsules could be used indoors as rockers - genius I tell you. Baby falls asleep in car seat, you pick up car seat drop it into base and off you go. Sweet. Another benefit is that the base will fit through the tickets gates at the train stations here in Tokyo. A con is that it is impossible to fold up this ensemble and carry it all by yourself anywhere. It has to go piece by piece. Another pro is that it is cheap even new and has a great parent tray, large storage basket (that you can actually use) and keeps baby nice and close even when you are at a restaurant. Jake didn't even ride in this stroller until he was about five weeks old. Until then we just carried him around in the Maya Wrap. That to me is the MOST convenient and fun way to carry around a newborn. Also great for discreet breastfeeding. Only downside is that you drop your food on them when at a restaurant and it's kind of hard to eat.

So the next stroller we used was my sister's Peg Perego Pliko something or other while we were in Australia. It is seven or eight years old and is going strong and is a cute blue and green tartan colour. Although both Darin and I are big proponents of baby wearing - it's much harder in the summer when both you and the babe get very hot. A stroller comes in handy then. The Peg was great and my only two complaints were trying to fold it down...it was a bit old so the folding mechanism kind of stuck (leading to one very embarrassing situation at a shopping centre in Brisbane) and my other complaint was that the handles were a bit low for us. We both felt like we had to hunch.

When we visited my parents house we uses my mum's laundry basket with a sheepskin. Jake seriously loved this!! Talk about cheap solutions.

As I said before when we were in Australia we went to a baby store and tried out a bunch of different strollers. I pushed the Maclaren Vogue and was really impressed with it - lightweight, super easy to push and fold down BUT I hated the colour - that model only came in GRAY! I also quite liked the Valco Navigator and it was cheap!

Well I couldn't write a post without mentioning the Bugaboo - the Louis Vuitton handbag of strollers.

This was never really an option for us - I could never justify spending that much on a stroller. These are not popular in Japan and the only time I ever saw one - it was being pushed by a foreign lady who more than likely drives a car around Tokyo because they have a very wide wheel base and are just not practical for the train and small Japanese shops. I like the concept of the Bugaboo and it's versatility, but I feel most people own one as a status symbol. I don't have much else to say about the bugaboo - I think I would only use one if someone gave it to me for free, but I could say that about most strollers. Oh I did read somewhere that someone thought the Bugaboo Bee looked like a wheelchair....

So let's move on to a stroller that I really don't like the look of (sorry if someone owns one of these - it's just my silly opinion after all) - the Stokke Xplory. Don't even get me started on that silly umbrella/sun parasol attachment.

I've seen about three or four of these around Tokyo and I think they look silly. Someone tried to fit theirs into the corner of a restaurant the other day and it stuck out like a sore thumb. Their kid who would have been old enough to sit at the table with a high chair couldn't even face the table directly. Buy a travel highchair for goodness sakes - I think they are a GREAT idea.

So after returning to Japan I decided I would just buy a cute lightweight stroller that was not a Maclaren. I was fed up with the research and my brain hurt so I bought a Graco Citisport EDT DLX.

I thought it looked pretty cute and had most of the attributes I was looking for - lightweight, adjustable handlebar that could be pushed with one hand, decent sized shopping basket, a shoulder strap to carry when folded and it can also be folded very easily with one hand and one foot. It also reclines to a nearly flat level so can be used for a baby from one month old and of course it weighs only five kilos. This is a model they only sell in Asia.

The stroller arrived and I was excited. I opened the box and played around with it and used it the next day. The result......

I HATED IT!

I wish I had never taken it out of the house so I could have sent it back. Why did I hate it so much. The seat was narrow and Jake at three and a half months old made it look small and they say you can use this thing until the kid is FOUR??!! The shoulder straps were short and hard to adjust. The backrest is made out of plastic cardboard!!! Oh and when I walked with it my feet kicked the wheels. I also wanted to use a lambskin liner that I bought in Australia but the stroller was even more squishy when I tried to attach the liner as well.

I guess the stroller has some good points. It really is light, super easy to close, stands upright alone and carry up and down stairs even with baby and bags as well.....that's about it though.

Live and learn I guess - never buy a stroller sight unseen unless it's second hand and doesn't cost much. So this will be put up for auction in Japan as soon as I can be bothered.

So this is when I had a change of heart. Instead of just thinking about getting a stroller that was easy for me to handle I also wanted to get something that would actually be comfortable for baby too. Lightweight rules in Japan but I see so many kids literally squashed into their strollers with their feet nearly dragging on the ground.

Next up for consideration was the Air Buggy. A three wheeler made in England pretty much exclusively for the Japanese market. Their latest model is the Air Buggy Mimi.

They certainly aren't lightweight compared to umbrella strollers but for a three wheeler they are not bad coming in at 9 kilos. The best thing about this stroller is that you can visit the Air Buggy store in Yoyogi and rent one for the day for $5 and see how you like it before you fork out $600. So that's what we did. It's a nice ride and good quality for sure and it comes with a bunch of accessories like a rain cover, sun shade, mosquito net, bottle holder etc. It's a little big for city use in Japan but would be good for the park. Here's Jake riding in a pink one.

We didn't end up purchasing one of these but I am looking for secondhand ones on Yahoo auction.

You may be getting sick of hearing about strollers by about now, so I'm assuming that if you are still reading it's because you've been through the same experience and totally identify. The saga does not end there and the research continued.

The Air Buggy store in Yoyogi also carries the Quinny Buzz and Quinny Zapp - cute colourful strollers from the Netherlands.

I saw a lady the other day on the train with a Quinny Buzz with the maxi cosi car seat snapped in and to tell you the truth, it looked really out of place in Japan with it's super wide wheel base. Hope she didn't get off where I live because there are no elevators to get you off the platform and people in Japan don't offer to help you carry strollers down the stairs. I kind of felt a little smug carrying Jake in the Ergo because I knew I could hop off the train anywhere with no trouble.

A better option would be the Quinny Zapp. I've seen a few Zapps around and they come in some really cute colours. I never really considered one of these as they don't recline and the wheel base is still pretty wide. You can use it with a maxi cosi car seat so you could really use the car seat until your babe can sit upright. It is also touted as the world's smallest stroller when folded. It's not super lightweight though (about 7.5 kilos I think).

So people if you are still with me, I'm tiring myself out thinking about all of this. These are not the only type of strollers I've researched but are the ones that I could obtain easily in Japan or try out for real before buying. We also looked at the Micralite, Silver Cross....and the list goes on.

Do you want to know what we finally ended up with???!!

A Maclaren - yes the good ol' frumpy Maclaren. I only decided on the Maclaren finally because I found a shop here that imports the European version of the Techno XLR in navy. They are not available in Japan yet. I could have bought an XT but I just couldn't buy a gray stroller.

Do I like it?

Yes - thank god.

Pros:

* smells expensive - love the suede liner...although we use a lambskin.

* great quality materials all round

* SO easy to maneuver around the shops

* LOVE the zip down hood that basically shades all of baby - no more pegging sheets to the hood

* spacious for baby

* tall height adjustable handles

* comes with a boot cover thing to protect baby's legs in winter

* easy to fold and carry with handle

Cons:

* the back wheels kind of squeak and this sound drives me insane - will be writing to Maclaren about this

* the wheels in general are a little big when folded

* doesn't stand upright but I'm over this and we've found a sweet little corner for it to live

* hard to access basket while in the recline position - good to prevent me from doing too much shopping so this could be a pro

* a little dull and boring looking

We actually also bought the matching Recaro car seat so we could use this as a travel system although I think it looks really silly. It still might be useful IF we have a second child.

Another stroller I would have considered is the Peg Perego Pliko Lite which is very similar in size to the Techno XLR but stands alone when folded and comes with a drink holder!! It's cheaper too....just.

C'mon Aussie C'mon C'mon

The Stella McCartney range for Target was released in Australia this morning.

It was mayhem.

I'm glad I wasn't there. I experience enough of this kind of sale frenzy at our work sales. It gives me a headache. It really makes you wonder. I mean every woman and their dog is now gonna be wearing your amazing Stella piece. Was it really worth it? I liked the collection, but not this much. There were really only a couple of pieces that I would have bought and with prices mostly between $80 to $200, the stuff wasn't even cheap. Am sure there will be plenty of pieces available on Ebay Australia any minute now.

Had to add these quotes from the SMH (I was laughing out loud at work reading them and envisioning the situation):

"We ended up amongst the men's shorts stripping off and trying on things with abandonment, much to the amazement of a few men shoppers.

"At one point I realized I was standing in my bra and pants right in the middle of Target!"

Target + Stella McCartney

Wow Stella McCartney has designed a 42 piece collection for Target Australia.

It goes on sale March 12. And the whole collection will be able to be viewed online from March 5 on the Designers for Target website.

I think a trip to Australia is in order.....to visit family of course. I mean I totally wouldn't fly thousands of miles to go to Target.

Or would I?

I might have to put in an order to my BBE.

I wondered whether Australian Target had embraced the designer line approach and it seems they have. Erin told me that the stuff sells out really quickly and then horrible people try to sell it on ebay for lots more money.

In other news, I've been trying to think up five weird things about me. I've been tagged by Helen and the DivaKnitter, but I wasn't going to do it because I've kinda done it before so that'll be a total of 10 weird things about me. That'll make me weirder than most people.

1. As a kid I was never really an animal person (I know, I know), but now with my two sweet pigs I find myself chatting to them and cuddling them all the time. Daz and I couldn't imagine what our lives would be like without them. Is that weird...or normal?

2. Not so much now, but I'm unusually into sports. It was a bonding thing with my father. I really get into the excitement of the moment. I've been to numerous State of Origin games. I saw the Harlem Globetrotters live. I was obsessed with Italian league soccer, 500cc motorbike racing and F1 racing in my last two years of high school. I would stay up until all hours watching those cars race around the track. It might have had something to do with No. 5 in my previous list.

3. I hate wasabi. This is probably not that weird. I got burned when I was a high school exchange student in Japan and my first host mother made a sandwich for my lunch everyday and she'd secretly smothered that horrible green stuff on to the ham. I would either give those sandwiches away or thrown them in the bin. Sorry, host mother number one.

4. I have a mild online shopping addiction. I've been really good this month. I don't think I would buy as much if I lived in the western world....or would I? I even told Darin last night that one of the pros of possibly moving to the US in the future is that I would be able to buy whatever I wanted online (no more international shipping!!) One can dream.

5. I'm 32 and don't have my driver's license.

Wow, that was actually easier than I thought it would be. Please don't tag me with this one anymore because then everyone'll know just how weird I really am??!!!!

OH and for you knitters out there - you can now preview Rowan mag 41 for Spring and Summer - from first glances there isn't a love that I MUST have (this is good news - save more money).

Also check out the Rowan Bamboo Tape Collection

The Rowan Kasbah Collection

The Little Angels Collection from Kim Hargreaves

But even cuter is the book And so to Bed by Lucinda Guy - CUTE!!

Virtual Garage sale?

I think I'm gonna have a virtual garage sale.

I thought of this brilliant idea while swimming today. Doing laps is very therapeutic, not only for my physical self but it also gives me an opportunity to work through issues, and brainstorm new ideas. I have so much stuff that I loved at some point but don't use anymore and other stuff that I just probably should never have bought. Ah yes, we've all been there. I would just have a normal garage sale, but we don't have a garage and it's just not done in Japan. I'll put anything leftover on ebay. Just need to purge and get some money back instead of spending it - cough, cough!

I've got unworn shoes from here, Japanese craft books (mostly older ones that can't be bought on amazon anymore), and a bunch of other stuff. Should be fun.

Talking of spending - sweet Taeko informed me at our SNB on Tuesday night that you can now buy ADDIS in Japan - OMG! Not only that, she told me they are around 600 yen - LESS than half the price I paid in the US ($14.95 - ouch). I purchased (cough) 14 (cough) pairs yesterday, Please don't do the math. But as Rae and I talked about the other day - this kind of purchase is a total investment!! All of the larger sizes and popular cable lengths are sold out, but I only really wanted needles that are a size 5 and smaller as I use my Denise needles for larger projects anyway. I also bought a whole set of small circs with a whopping 60-inch cable. I figure I'll teach myself the magic loop technique. They are even selling addi circs with a THREE METRE cable - um, crazy.

You can buy the addis online in Japan at ASATSURU - they even have an English page - cute!

Oh, btw have any of you used a knitting thimble? They are sold out of the INOX ones but they look kind of handy.

Still on the topic of shopping, Fred Flare has done it again - they are selling one of a kind Amy Sedaris fake cakes. I really want one, but I'm going to try and resist (considering the purchase of 14 pairs of needles and did I mention the yarn I also bought yesterday.....). Anyway, you should totally get one thought (pink!, get the pink) and I'll be so jealous - they are also personally signed by Amy. I also love the Amy Sedaris pastry pouch - cute!

Man are we still on the topic of shopping. I just can't resist. It's kind of like my addiction to amazing tv like 'I Love New York'. It's produced by Ken Mok of ANTM fame - oh and did you know that's my last name too. I so wish we were related. As I told Claire I was a bit disappointed with the first episode, but man did it pick up this week with the mangeant (i.e. male beauty pageant).

I have plenty more things I want to chat about today, but um, I think I've written enough.

Hobbies and Hot Dogs

Last Saturday Pinn and I made our way out to Odaiba to attend Japan's largest Hobby Show. It was rainy and cold outside, but luckily there was lots of fun crafty stuff inside to keep us warm. The Hobby Show was on for three days, but I could only make it on the Saturday because of work, so unfortunately I missed out on the Prince's talk show. However we did make it in time to see a talk show with Tomoko Takamori - Japan's leading amigurumi artist - and man, is she cute!

That's her on the right! Cute dress and cute shoes.

We were introduced to Takamori-san later by my friend from Nihon-Vogue and even though we talked about her visiting the Tokyo S+B, I didn't think that she would come to our next meeting three days later. Of course I didn't have my camera with me. Dumb. I am going to do an interview with Takamori-san though - the interview will appear on my new Japanese craft site...which will hopefully be up soon!!

Here's Pinn looking super cute in her handmade beret and capelet. We were lucky enough to receive a free bento lunch from my friend - yay!

I actually don't have many photos from the Hobby Show as photography was not exactly allowed. Here's the three other photos I took.

Um, I think this one needs no explanation.

And here's Rira-kuma (relax bear). You could have a polaroid taken with Rira-kuma so I went to line up, but they told me I needed some silly special ticket.....I was so sad.

But the excitement does not end there. The next day Daz and I head off to Costco for the first time. We had fun because everything was BIG.

I made French toast for breakfast with blueberries and stewed apples with walnuts and raisins - yum!

It took us about 40 minutes to get to the Costco at Tamasakai by train. It's really easy to get to and only a 10 minute (or less) walk from the station. Good directions in English here.

We found it!

Daz feels right at home with the gigantic trolleys (or carts as you Americans say)

Since we were hungry when we arrived, we went straight to the eatery. We ordered two hot dogs, one pizza slice, one churro, and two bottomless cups of soft drink - it all came to less than 1000 yen.

Me using the relish machine to load up our hot dogs

Darin eating the gigantic pizza slice

Click to continue on below and see some photos of really large amounts of food. We actually didn't buy any of the featured products....except for the 4kg box of old fashioned oats!!

Yuck - ranch dressing

Darin has been craving liquid cheese. He claims it's an American comfort food. I did promise that Costco would have it and that he could 'pour' it on his hot dog, but this was all we found. It stayed at Costco.

Darin sitting on a large stack of Budweiser. Please take note of the XXXX in the background. We really wanted to take home a slab of Coopers Pale Ale, and even though it was nearly half price per bottle, we figured that we wouldn't be able to control ourselves and the Coopers stayed at Costco.

Darin with a thick cyclinder of boneless ham

And here's me holding one of the few things we did buy - 4kgs of old fashioned quaker oats!!

BTW, if you live in Tokyo it costs only 500 yen to have a box of your shopping (up to 30kg) delivered to your home if you don't have a car!! Also Costco only accepts American Express and cash.

Art School Dropout....literally

Thank you all so much for your comments and feedback! I really needed to get that off my chest. So Paypal ruled in my favour because the merchant did not respond to the claim within 10 days. However, she did not have sufficient funds in her account, so I was refunded $2.26 of the $38 I paid in total ($30 for the necklace and $8 for international shipping). I'm not sure what to do next. It's gotten to a point where I am sick of sending emails and leaving random comments. It's her responsibility to get back to me - not mine.

So I've decided to reveal the merchant on my blog as a public service to all of the crafty gals/guys out there. I'm sure people have had fine experiences with her, but mine was not.

The merchant I have been dealing with is Jessica (Jessee) Maloney of Art School Dropout.

Her flickr account.

Her sites update journal.

Here's the necklace I was to receive, but never did. BTW, she's upped the prices of her necklaces to $40, so beware.

So apart from this negative blight, my weekend was great even though the weather was crappy. On Saturday Pinn and I went to the Hobby Show in Odaiba (photos to come) and on Sunday Darin and I went to America....well actually we just made a trip out to Costco but the size and price of the pizza slices and the free soda refills led us to believe we were really in the US!! Photos to come!

Trying to Stay Positive

I always try and remain positive on my blog mainly because a very long time ago a friend said that email and the internet are not places to be mean or nasty and I agree. I save being mean and nasty for when I'm tired and cranky and riding the elevator and I get pushed into the corner by someone who has plenty of room in front of them but that's another story (deep breath).

I love handmade stuff and love to buy from people that are creative and talented. I have bought pieces from Antifactory (more than once, ahem), Pretty Raccoon, Supayana, Boygirlparty, Veritas El Pulchra, Frecklewonder, Spicy Toast, The Vintage Doctor, Heather Joy, and Dying Breed to name a few. I love supporting independent crafters. More than 90% of these independent business owners are helpful and have great customer service - sending emails to confirm items are sent/received, etc. I have only had a few problems and most of them are resolved quickly but recently I tried to buy a necklace online from a young independent crafter and it has been an ABSOLUTE nightmare.

I bought and paid for the necklace on March 23. The seller was great about emailing at this point and seemed very helpful. Four weeks later nothing had arrived so I sent two or three emails to the seller's business email address and got no response. I finally left a comment on her livejournal and she responded apologizing and said that the necklace had never been sent. She had asked her boyfriend to do it, but he didn't send it because he couldn't work out how to fill in the little customs form on the package. I was totally nice and understanding and she was repentant saying that she'd thrown in another necklace for free. Awesome. I was so happy to finally hear from her and get things resolved. Two weeks after that exchange - NOTHING. No necklaces in the mail, so I start sending emails again. No response. Left two comments on her livejournal. No response. She has been sick but has had time to update her livejournal, attend a craft fair, update her flickr account. I also emailed another email address that she recently asked customers who had not received their products to respond to. No response. I'm so sad.

I won't mention who it is coz that's not nice. I finally lodged a paypal complaint last week and sent her another two emails saying that if she'd just respond and tell me when she sent the necklaces or when she will send them, then I'd withdraw the complaint and that even if I got the money back then I would repay her. NO response. I'm so tired of this and know I should just let it all go for the sake of my sanity but it truly bugs me. I've even considered calling her residence in the US, but I probably won't.

I haven't lost faith though in all of you crafty girls out there. I just wish that this one would respond to my emails. I'm beginning to feel like a stalker.

Anna R-D

Wow, I've been having a great day today. What a nice change! The beginning of this year (ever since we got back from Australia) has been a little lacklustre. I wasn't feeling it at all and being sick twice certainly didn't help. The spring weather has made me so much happier!

I got up early this morning so that I could work out at the gym longer than usual. Going in my lunch break means that I really only have 25 minutes which is just not enough. I started a new program and it was really challenging. It has made me feel good. Then Darin tells me my new bag which I ordered from Demano arrived at the house and that a torrent I have been wanting to download has finally succeeded. It was the finale of the Biggest Loser - S2. I am completely addicted to the Biggest Loser series and cry in nearly every episode. It is so encouraging and positive. The transformations are amazing. I love that a show promoting exercise and a reasonable diet is proving a big hit both in the US and Australia.

And now that I exercise in the morning, I can enjoy some SPECIAL time (as Darin calls it) during lunch. Today I had a lovely lunch with a work friend and then we wandered around the cherry blossoms at the Aoyama Cemetary which are in full bloom - right now. Here's a pic of the cherry blossoms in Inokashira Park - I took this photo with my camera on the way to work this morning.

It tops off a great week actually. On the weekend we went to Keirin with some buddies and that was an interesting experience. I'll post my photos in Flickr later, but in the meantime you can read Darin's post about the Keirin. My only advice is that I wouldn't really recommend  soing to Keirin for a date - it kind of smells of stale smoke and is FULL of old men. I ended up playing a game called 'Spot the Female' - it was hard. The only bonus was there was no line at the ladies toilets. We had one wager, guess what colour racer I bet on?

Here's a great polaroid shot of Darin taken at Keirin.

My favourite thing about Keirin was the old man food stall selling soba/udon/curry and onigiri - that's it. Oh and the free rokucha and water machine.

And on the way home, I spotted an awesome looking thrift store that is only open between 1:30pm and 5pm on Sundays - it was 4pm on Sunday. Guess what we found! Not one but TWO Print Goccos and a whole case of inks. They were originally priced at 250 yen and 300 yen respectively, but they were on sale for half price. Meaning that we walked out of there with all of that for much less than $10.

I also scored a cute vintage Japanese dress with the tags still on it for 200 yen, which I am now calling my wimbledon dress.

BUT I have been saving the best news for last. This happy spring post is dedicated to Anna Di-Iorio Reyes - the new, new daughter of our good friends, Angie and Sam. She was born on Sunday March 26th at 1:59am. Man, I am so happy for you guys and I want to come and meet Anna soon.

The story of the golden shoes

My love for Tokyo has been waning lately. I think it probably has something to do with the cold weather and my anger at still having to wear a big coat. I am envious of everyone that can go thrift store shopping whenever they want. I miss the excitement of finding something special. So to restore that love, I set out for Harajuku after work yesterday. It's pretty cool that such an amazing area of the world is only a 15 minute walk away. It was rainy and cold but I didn't care. I decided to check out some vintage stores that I had heard about but never really ventured inside.

First stop was G2 (3-22-7 Jingumae, 2F, open everyday 11-8). This shop is a great place to wander around - lots of bright colours, 80s motifs and kitsch zakka, but it is overpriced. I found the cutest vintage polka dot dress but it was nearly 8000 yen. Too much. They had some shoes that even fit me (size 9) - shock horror! I receommend it for inspiration and to have a browse.

Next stop was the kebab stand run by men from the middle east. I have been there many times before but they always ask where I am from, and then they continue to charm me by telling me how beautiful Australian women are - it always elicits a smile from me. No vintage clothes here but 500 yen got me a delicious kebab and more importantly sustenance for the rest of my shopping adventure.

I crossed the road while stuffing my face and head to the YM Square Building which is home to my favourite store, Hanjiro. You can see photos inside the store here. They really provide the full shopping experience - amazing atmosphere, good prices, awesome point system, and a very beautiful cafe with an outdoor balcony!! However before Hanjiro I went to the new secondhand store in the bottom of the YM Square Building - can't remember the name. Their stuff is cheap - nothing much more than 800 yen, but it's more secondhand with a few vintage pieces thrown in the mix. All of their winter stuff was 70% off but even so I didn't really find anything I needed/wanted. I was tempted by the 200 yen prices though.

So off I went to Hanjiro and I had one of those great shopping days when everything you try on fits and looks pretty cute. Usually in Japan I can virtually guarantee that most things won't fit right but yesterday was not one of those days. My love for Tokyo was slowly but surely seeping back into my bones. I spent most of my time on the 4th floor among the recon stuff, cute girly gold and silver shoes and of course the dresses rack. I walked out of there with ANOTHER recon tshirt and some gold heels - the grand total came to 1500 yen after using my points card and still have 150 yen discount to use the next time I go. Their point system is great - you get a 10 yen discount for every 100 yen you spend. I was a bit disappointed that I didn't find a dress I liked. I love vintage dresses and was really eager to stock up on some for spring.

I wasn't going to give up though. Most shops shut at 8, but I knew there had to be at least one still open.

We Go stays open until 9 - this was my last chance. I went straight to the basement and to the dress rack. Certainly not as cheap or as exciting as Hanjiro, but I found two super cute dresses - one brown and one red. Total came to just less than 4000 yen.

I was really happy that after two hours I had a cute new recon tshirt, a pair of gold strappy heels and two spring dresses for around 5500 yen.

My love for Tokyo is back with a vengeance.

I didn't have time to take a photo this morning, so my very kind and loving husband took one for me. It makes me smile because he found a way to sneak his skateboard into the shot!!!

oh and by the way, look who can't stand to leave our cozy home:

Ebay Auctions Ending!

How fast does a week go by these days??!! It's frightening. Five days until we leave for Australia but more importantly there are only  six to eight hours left on my Japanese craft book auctions on Ebay.

Go and bid now!

Have a great weekend and I'll leave you with some random shots that I've been meaning to post!!!

Pinngurl

I interupt the USA 2005 trip commentary, to introduce an exciting new crafty site, Pinngurl, produced and run by Pinn, THE craftiest member of the Tokyo SNB. This girl is seriously talented and very creative.

You must check out her Monster in a Teacup pincushions!!!!

Here's Pinn and her fiancee, Ken - congrats girl, you rock!

Turning 30

I turned 30 a few months ago. I didn't really think about it much, certainly wasn't worried, and was lucky enought to spend it in beautiful Thailand with my 'new' husband here:

Since turning 30, and maybe even a year before I turned 30 I noticed that I am definitely becoming more health conscious. I figure that now is the time to make myself fitter, more flexible, and in general healthier. I am certainly not obsessive about it, but it has definitely become more of a state of general consciousness for me and I like it.

I found a yoga studio near my house, so I am going to try it out on Sunday to see what it's like. It's not cheap, but nothing in Tokyo is, and as Darin says you are really saving 1000s of $$$ in the longrun because you won't have to fork out as much money for health bills in the future.

Tonight I am also going to check out a store called Lululemon in Aoyama. I found it via the Being a Broad forums. It's a Canadian leisurewear company that focuses on yoga gear. That's been the most fun thing about getting healthy - there's a reason to buy lots of new 'gear'! The company also produces a monthly ezine, which is packed with motivational stories about health, fitness, food, and living. Check it out! All the archives are available too.

So yeah, everything's was good until I read this article. I just thank the lord that they didn't take away the site until I downloaded the Veronica Mars finale.

ps How's the hair accessory making/buying going? I think I am going to take care of that this weekend. Look at these cute Hawaiian bobby pins (the link was one of my google ads - thanks google!).

For homesick Aussies in Japan

This post will be of very little interest to many of you, but it makes me very happy. The Foreign Buyer's Club in Japan has now opened its Aussie store. Shipping is cheap at around 500 yen and it takes just over a week for your order to arrive from Australia, and although the prices are obviously higher than normal - it's worth it when you receive little treats from home (e.g. Chicken in a Biskit, the Woman's Day, Pascall Wine Gums, etc). I have no idea why it happens, but I actually long for food more than anything when I am away from home. Basically food dictated my week at home and I deprived myself of NOTHING. It was fabulous. I did pay the price though in adding a couple of kilos to my happy Aussie frame, but I'm back to jogging, swimming and eating a rice ball for lunch so no doubt I'll be back to normal soon enough. My mother never worried about me having an eating disorder just because she REALLY knows just how much I LOVE food. Not massive quantities but the variety of tastes and textures. I think it's one of the best things about being alive!!!

Happy shopping and happy eating!!

ps Flower pin swap blog has been updated!!!

Salvation Army Bazaar in Tokyo

I finally made it to the Salvation Army Bazaar in Tokyo on Saturday and I had a blast. I highly recommend it to those who love 'real' thrift stores. My favourite section without a doubt was the old Japanese kimono/craft section. I bought 2000 yen worth of yarn including vintage black silk tape, a variety of coloured mohair, two skeins of this vintage wool boucle and some rusty coloured wool. I also bought some clothes and some really cool Japanese purses for 300 yen each.

You can buy furniture, clothes, shoes (they even had two pairs in my size??!!! but I didn't buy either), electrical appliances, antiques, stationery, fabric, vintage kimonos, bags, purses, crockery, just about anything really. Click for bazaar layout.

The bazaar is on every Saturday from 9am until 2pm. Busy but not necessary to be there at 9am. You could easily turn up at 11am and spend a good two hours looking for special treasures. Cash only (from what I could tell). You can also donate goods, which may be useful for people leaving Tokyo and looking to get rid of unwanted stuff.

Salvation Army Bazaar (information in Japanese)
2-21-2 Wada, Suginami-ku, Tokyo,
TEL: 03-3384-3769

Directions: seems like there are a variety of ways to get to the bazaar. I got a bus (heading for Nakano) from Eifukucho station on the Inokashira line. I got off the bus at 'Kouseikai Seidou-mae'. After getting off the bus, keep walking in the same direction as the bus in heading and take the first left (it's a narrow road on a slight incline), continue right to the top, turn right and the bazaar is on the left after about 100 metres (look for a white building) - you'll be entering from the back.

Well....

I was really hoping that I would have something to write about today like a new finished top, or maybe a funny Japan incident....but I have come up empty-handed. Thank you to everyone for their congratulations - I am glad that I kept the post up there for a week. We had some 'blast from the past' commenters - the Internet really is an amazing place. Work is super busy at the moment, so there has only been limited surfing. The good news is that my laptop at home has come alive all of a sudden. It has been sitting quietly in the corner for quite a while and I thought I would just give it one more go and off she went. I'm not asking questions - am just happy that it works although its fickle nature makes me slightly nervous.

The Japanese knitting mag offer was very popular, so I have been making trips to the bookstore and buying a bunch of magazines/books - they must think I am very strange buying many copies of the same book!!! I am thinking about selling a bunch of Japanese knitting magazines that I have sitting here at home and maybe some other fun Japanese crafty stuff, so stay tuned. If there are any products that you would be particularly interested in getting your hands on, let me know. I will probably put them up for auction on ebay - a friend of us all.

TWO interesting links for those in Japan/Tokyo:

* Salvation Army Bazaar - now I heard about this thrift store through a Japanese friend of mine (the very shrewd and cool owner of Tiny Cafe in Senkawa). I haven't been, but a Tokyo SNB girl, Claire has and she sent me a pic of her haul!!! It looked amazing. So if you like thrift stores at proper thrift store prices, then head to the Bazaar. It is held every Saturday from 9am to about 1pm and I hear it gets busy, so be there early!!! I heard there's a bunch of cheap yarn for sale (and it's not acrylic!!).

Ooh and you can donate old stuff that you don't want anymore - which makes a lot more sense than throwing stuff away in the gomi (trash)!!

* Bonheur (Diamond Yarn) - this is an online yarn shop here in Japan that sells only Diakeito yarn. They have a great bargain section where you can buy discontinued lines in bags of 10 for between 1260 and 2100 yen!! Cheap!!

Random photo post of the week - this is a shot of one of the floats at the Neputa Festival in Hirosaki, Aomori (northern Japan) last year.

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie.....

I swore to myself I wasn't going to perpetuate the slightly annoying chant that plagued the Sydney Olympics in 2000, but dammit I just can't help it. Currently I am reading the Bill Bryson book, Notes from a Big Country (a collection of columns he wrote for the Mail on Sunday's Night and Day magazine) and in it he says, In a funny way nothing makes you feel more like a native of your own country than to live where nearly everyone is not - how true!! I find myself cheering louder when watching rugby matches (umm, what am I doing watching rugby???) and constantly pointing out obscure Australian actors to poor Darin when we watch movies - See that guy there, he's Australian didja know that? Didja? Didja?......No, I didn't. Well he is, you know....

Anyway, are you psyched about the Olympics? I am. I went to watch the Judo during the Sydney Olympics and the vibe in that town and at the event was amazing. The only sad thing this time is that if you want to watch anything live here in Japan - you will have to stay up between the hours of 1am onwards.....hmmm. I just wanna see Thorpey (he's an awesome Aussie swimmwer with big feet if you didn't know) win some gold for the land of kangaroos and meat pies. Click here to read an article about 10 things to watch as the Games open.

On a crafty note, I have a package packed and ready to be shipped out to my secret pal - I am great at shopping, but not so good at sending packages out. I also have a package ready for my sweet, lifesaving friend, Swirl, and a Japanese knitting magazine ready to ship to Julie. Just mail it already.....ok.

Now I wasn't gonna put this photo of Carla up, coz it's pretty lame, but dammit I don't have any other photos to post today and it is the weekend coming up and all - y'all deserve a picture. Please take into consideration that this has not been blocked and there are many ends at the neck to be weaved in. I don't have it on because it's too small on the shoulders, and didn't look nearly as great as Clara's. It is going to be a present for my dear friend, Amanda who is leaving me here in cold (actually it is REALLY hot - it hasn't gone below 30 degrees for over 30 days - aghhh), lonely Japan. Don't go!!!!

Mr Postman!

The Secret Pink Earring Swap

So girls, are your earrings in the mail?? Mine are on their way to the post office today - just made the deadline. I know that some of you have already received your earrings - if you can, send us a photo and I'll post it in a gallery here on Pinku. A pink earring gallery - that sounds like such a great idea!! Don't worry if you miss the deadline by a few days - just be sure to get your earrings in the mail ASAP. There's only so many days a girl can wait by the mailbox for her new pink earrings!!

Weekend update

Umm, yeah. So I set myself goals and they still remain unfulfilled BUT I did get a little bit of knitting done on my Stripes in the Round top (minus the stripes) AND I did enjoy a wonderful Sunday with the Tokyo SNB gals. Thanks for hosting a great bbq, Rae - it was fabulous! Hopefully I'll get around to posting the three photos I took in the next couple of days.

Internet shopping rocks (esp. when you live in a foreign country)

There are a few companies of which I should be a shareholder. I love to shop online. I am not sure whether I would do it as much if I lived in Australia (where the dollar is weak and I already have access to a bunch of stuff) but I absolutely love it in Japan. I have ordered something from all of these sites.

My favourite sites lately are:

Awful Cufflinks - a new daily shopping journal run by the gals from Plain Mabel and Bigger Krissy. Everyday the girls introduce some cool/cute/useful item that they have found on the Internet. (found via Not Martha)

Jestel - buy birkenstocks direct from Germany - if you are patient, economy shipping (4-6 weeks) is FREE - can you believe it?? Check out their bargains sections - there are tons of really cool shoes - mine are on their way from Germany!! (found via Knitty blog - can't wait to see the new Knitty due out at the end of this week!!!)

Amazon Japan - a lifesaver for English-speaking Japan residents - they deliver books to my door for a price cheaper than any bookstore in Japan - I love you Amazon Japan.

Elann - the super Canadian online yarn store that have also just agreed to sponsor Team Knitty for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run for the Cure.

Kangaroo - another online yarn store - this time in the UK. Rowan is expensive in Japan (like most countries) and Debbie Bliss is just not available, but by ordering online here and even paying shipping rates I can save money!! Very prompt service.

Zodee - online Aussie underwear/swimsuit store - I used to be a little addicted to Victoria's Secret, but lately that addiction has waned and I haven't actually ordered from them for over a year. I still like to browse their catalogues though. Zodee is great - it offers a lot of Aussie brand name underwear (Bonds, Kylie, Berlei, Elle MacPherson) and swimsuits (Speedo, Jets, Seafolly, etc) - I bought a new swimsuit from them and it's great - great for girls in Asian countries who don't have Asian figures!!

Ebay - how could I not include Ebay - I just won an auction for a dvd version of the BBC TV series, The Human Body. I have already seen it on TV in Australia (it was absolutely amazing), but was desperate to see it again. The BBC shop UK doesn't ship overseas (I hate that), the BBC shop in the US didn't stock it, and the ABC store in Australia charged a fortune for shipping, so I turned to ebay. Now I just pray that the dvds work!! If you haven't seen this series I highly recommend it to you - it takes you through each stage of life (one per episode) and explains all of the changes that happen to your body. Right from conception through to death - something everyone on this planet should watch!!!

Happy shopping!!

Shopping regrets

Do you ever regret NOT buying something? I regret NOT buying the hottest red sari with gold embroidery while I was in India. I already have some beautiful white sari material that Jitty gave me as a present (after I ordered her to buy it :P), but the red sari would have transformed our bedroom into a true boudoir??!! I had it in my hands....I don't know why I didn't buy it. It wasn't that expensive - about 800 rupees I think which is about $20. Anyway, to placate myself I spent the weekend sewing on gold sequins and tiny, shiny beads onto the white sari. So far I have sewn about 30-40 into place and there is still hundreds to go. Now I know why hand-beaded stuff costs so much!!!

In other news, I finally made it to Avril on Saturday. It is THE cutest little yarn store. No commercial yarns here, and the range of bamboo yarns was amazing. Actually I had ulterior motives for the trip. I have been knitting a cute little top with cap sleeves using a Japanese pattern and on Saturday morning I hit a big roadblock. All of a sudden there were blank spaces in the pattern that I couldn't understand. After some reasearch I discovered that they were showing short row shaping on the shoulders....but then I couldn't work out what went where. I was desperate for help. There was no other customers in the store and after my initial embarassment I asked the store attendant if I could ask her a question about Japanese patterns. Anyway, she suggested that I just finish knitting the back piece in the store and that she would help me. It was great!!! I am over the moon that I have somewhere to go and hang out nearby where I can indulge in fibres and knitting over a cup of coffee (they have the cutest little outdoor patio as well). I also signed up for a felting class there next Saturday, which might be just me actually. Should be fun.

Bonds + Hipsters

To an Aussie girl, these words have nothing to do with financial istruments or people who think they're hot! However, if you do wear them you will look hot! Bonds hipsters are undies - really comfy, cotton, Aussie undies that come in a bunch of different styles and funky colours.

This post was inspired by a post in Nicole's blog that was all about being an Aussie and some of the girls mentioned loving Bonds. Basically Bonds is an old Australian company that revamped its business by introducing a funky line of underwear (which every Aussie girl loves). I always buy some when I am at home - I mean ALWAYS!

For those of us far from home, particularly in countries like Japan where the lingerie options are well....lacy, frilly, very padded and come with lots of bows - buying lingerie on trips home is a must. Since living in Tokyo, Victoria's Secret has been my main on-line undie and bra shopping source, but a google search today introduced me to Zodee - an on-line AUSSIE lingerie shop THAT delivers overseas!! They carry Elle Macpherson, Bonds, Bendon, Berlei, Formfit, Finelines, Love Kylie, Playtex, Simone Perele, Hey Sister, Sloggi (now that's a classic) and lots more. They also carry swimwear.

You can sign up to join their club (FREE) and you get 5% off all purchases, a $10 voucher, and 2.5% of every purchase is credited back to your account for future use. Sounds like good value to me, mate!!!

I expect lots of dodgy google searches because of this post.

Now don't get jealous...

...but my new mobile phone glows in the dark. No seriously - Japanese mobile phones have THE best useless functions. After having one of my wisdom teeth out on Saturday I decided to treat myself to a new phone. I really wanted one that has chaku-uta, which is basically ring-tones that are real songs - I mean they sound real BUT vodafone doesn't offer these phones and I figure that one that glows in the dark is the next best thing. It's the Vodafone 302T. I had come to a point where I would charge my phone all night, make one phone call the next day and the battery would be virtually dead. I know that companies make these phones with a limited life to force you to buy a new phone, but hey it's fun to play around with all of these useless functions and totally necessary if you live in Tokyo.

Now you can get phones with tvs and phones where you listen via your bones - what is our world coming to!!!! Below is one of the great functions of my phone - you can add borders and writing to your photos and impose them on silly backgrounds - how fun. A little puri-kura machine right here in my phone. Only in Japan.

* Forgot to add - will be trying out a moblog, so check out the 'undoubtably' silly photos in the photo album creatively named 'photos from my phone'. My phone is equipped with a 3 megapixel camera....just don't know how I'm gonna get the photos off my camera - too big to send and I'm too cheap to buy a 5000 yen USB cable AND I already have a digital camera...oh well.

Hanjiro Sale!!

So, one of my favourite stores is having a moving/opening sale. Hanjiro is a massive second-hand clothing store in Harajuku. They also have a few other branches with one in Daikanyama. They are moving from their old location above the now 'dead' Aux Bacchanales cafe across the road to the 3rd and 4th floor of the YM Square Building next door to the big Harajuku GAP. Sale begins Jan 31 and is on until Feb 8. Check it out!!!

Christmas ideas?? Internet shopping??

It really surprises me everyday how many people I know, meet or discover on the Internet that love pink!! It is quite funny as the colour is always associated with girly girls, sweet things and sugar??!! Barbie has given pink a bad name, except the Barbie clothes shop (for human women) in Venus Fort did have some really cute clothes. All of the girls I know that love pink really ROCK - they are interesting, feminine, independent, great girlfriends (for girls and boys) and have opinions about things that matter!

So, I was prompted to write this when I came across a site called I buy D.I.Y. It is run by a girl, Tracy who is 28 (like me) AND she lists pink as one of her 'loves'. Besides this wonderful fact, the site is hot - it is a collection of craft sites (mainly in the US but also a couple in Australia) that make and sell their own products.

Having some trouble deciding what to buy your friends and family for Christmas - well, take a look at one of these sites - it makes me want to pull out my credit card and start clicking. A lot of the stuff is way cheaper than in the shops and many of the stores do ship internationally (which is great news for us here in Japan!!!).

Enjoy!