Seasons In the Sun

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iA6BqS9FlQ0

The other day I walked into Zara, sun on my back, sweat on my face, relived to have some free air-conditioning, and then I found all the clothes in the shop were already in autumn fashion, with dark colors, long-sleeves and fur trims.

I saw this drop-dead gorgeous white down jacket there, although I wonder who in her right mind would pick it up and try it on, when it was 34 degrees outside!

When the seasons start to change, I first take inventory of my last year collection, then I do some market research like window shopping and observing other girls on the street, and finally decide to buy something must-have for this season. It could be a leopard-print scarf, a funky long pearly necklace, or a pair of black, knee-high suede boots.

Although fashion is one of my passions, I refuse to pay top dollar so that I can look exactly the same as everyone else! I am usually a good girl and can wait till the sale, except for something I fall in love with at the first sight.

Some of my friends are ready for the coming autumn. The have just bought some new clothes they absolutely have to have and now they are waiting for the first chance to show off their autumn style.

This morning I read the latest Vogue in the saloon and surprise surprise, it seems this autumn's fashion is not much different from last autumn’s, or the year before for that matter.

Anyway I don't know why some people read those magazines like bible. The models all look either angry or depressed, perhaps because they are hungry and harassed?

Summertime

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWFJLUBwpSY

Autumn is early in Tokyo this year. We had a rather cold week, and now looking at all the fallen yellow leaves on the street makes me realize all over again how fast time flies by.

This time every year, cicadas scream louder, mosquitoes get hungrier, and everyone tries desperately to cling onto every last bit of summer they can have.

I used to love autumn, even though it can be quite sentimental. I suppose I just love the vibrant colors of autumn leave and the cooler and fresher air.

But now I adore summer. I can never have enough of summer! And this summer has almost disappeared when I still haven’t gone through my long list of summer fun.

Let’s see, hmmmmm, things I have accomplished:

-- Trying all the new flavors in Baskin Robins

-- Compiling the playlist “Songs For the Summer”

-- Dancing till I dropped at the club

-- BBQ-ing and stuffing myself nearly sick with different kinds of meat, meat and more meat

And things I still have to do before all the leaves on the trees are gone:

-- Wearing all my slutty summer dresses

-- Learning how to play (the piano) and sing the song “Summertime” simultaneously

-- Finding the prefect golden open-toed sandals with red soles and 5-inch heels

-- Going to a summer festival wearing a traditional Japanese yukata

-- Going to the beach to show off my new halter-top black bikini

Poor, busy me!

Coffee Song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9BRGBUAh0w&feature=related

Why does coffee smell especially good in the morning? I think we are all conditioned! I can't start my day without a cup of coffee first. I believe coffee wakes me up and keeps me going, although in the morning I move very slowly so I have to settle for instant coffee to kick-start my brain.

Many of my friends are coffee junkies. Their lives depend on the constant supply of coffee and they have to keep an emergency stack.

But coffee is not just a necessity. I enjoy the whole experience, from making a cup of coffee to slowly appreciating the smell, the taste, and watching the milk swirling in it. And combined with the sweets I love such as cakes, pies, tarts, chocolate, it’s definitely better than sex sometimes! Well, both are recreational anyway…

I guess that’s why coffee is often associated with having a break, especially when we are sick and tired of the faces of our coworkers.

Making coffee is an art. I am the proud owner of 3 coffee mills, an antique wooden thing, another a normal household appliance, and finally a high-tech, all-mighty tool that can grind a tree as well. I also have a traditional espresso machine and an electric one. And now I am thinking about buying a proper industrial machine!

The exciting part of making coffee is that the result is different every time, depending on how the beans are roasted, how fine you grind them, what equipment you choose to make the coffee, how hot the water is, etc. The final product is not just a simmering cup of coffee.

And next, how you drink it can also make a huge difference. Some people prefer it to look and taste like brown water, while others can only enjoy it bitter and strong. Some people add so much milk that they are actually drinking coffee-flavored milk. But other people like it black. And sugar? Cinnamon? Cocoa powder? There are simply too many variations!!

Personally I like it bitter and strong, but sometimes white and sometimes black, depending on my moods and what sweets I have with.

Of course coffee beans in Japan don't come cheap, like everything else here. But I am willing to sacrifice quantity for quality.

And anyway I have to be careful not to drink too much coffee since my body is highly sensitive to caffeine, which probably also explains why I like it so much.

Forbidden fruits are always the sweetest, aren't they???

Just Walking In The Rain

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCjTWYoRTzM

From about 3 years ago, we started to have torrential rain here in Tokyo every summer. They come suddenly and violently, overflow the rivers and flood the streets.

They can be very dangerous. Some city employees cleaning the sewers and school children playing at the riverside were flushed away in a flash.

I was trapped in a bus the other day during one of these storms. And the bus was trapped in the traffic.

Most people don't like rainy days. But I happen to love the sound of the rain. So I don't really mind.

Tokyo people are usually in a hurry for some reason, everybody rushes around purposefully and politely.

I watched my fellow passengers getting more and more agitated with every minute passed, and suddenly rememberd a Chinese poem about listening to the rain.

   While young I listened to the rain in the brothel.
   Beside a red candle, in a silk-curtained bed.
   In my prime I travelled and listened to the rain on the riverboat,
   Beneath the cloud where the wild geese cried,
   And the wind blew from the west.
   Now I listen to the rain in the temple and my hair has become gray.
   We meet and part with joy and sorrow, 
   Let the raindrops drip till tomorrow.

Starting Over

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAJ2AoEwDvY

Compare with my second marriage though, my disastrous first marriage was a fairy tale. My second husband cheated on me half of the time we were together

I’ve passed the stages feeling shocked, humiliated, ashamed, self-pity, angry, suicidal, bitter, hatred and all that. Now I just want to be myself, and try to be happy without hurting anyone.

It was laughable when a friend of mine suggested the problem with me is giving up too fast, when I was with my first husband for 7 years, and the second for 12 years!

Sometimes I wonder why I even bother. Many of my girlfriends are single, and very happy. They believe they don’t need any men in their lives and most men are weak, selfish and unreliable anyway.

I asked them if they were afraid of dying alone one day in their old age. And their answer was, everyone dies alone one day, sooner or later and one way or another.

Of course they are right about that, but before we die, doesn’t it make more sense if we can share our lives meaningfully with someone we love? Or is it just another ambitious dream of mine?

I am such a dreamer, I know!!!

Let's Stick Together

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9EbR0ckb40&ob=av3e

My first marriage was such a cliché, with all the elements of a B-class movie, from the dreamy romance of the young lovers, the disproval of the conservative and rich parents, to the impulsive elope, fiery family conflicts, teary compromises, vows of undying love, and the predictable heart-breaking finale, divorce.

Although I don’t really blame him, we were both too naïve then, but I do believe he was too weak and quick to give in to family pressure, after hiding our marriage from his parents for 5 years.

I know he did love me before, but it was just not enough for him to stand up to his parents who refused to let their eldest son and the heir to the family business empire marry (openly) to a foreigner from a middle-class family.

He had to fly to Dominican Republic to get the divorce done. I didn’t ask for any alimony, because I didn’t marry him for money. All I wanted was to have my freedom back.

But most of all, I have been keeping it quiet. I don’t feel the need to stir up a scandal and cause any trouble. Now he is remarried with an heiress whose daddy owns a football team and a city in North Japan. They have 3 kids.

I am only too glad I got out before I went completely mental!

Drama Queen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWHfFdmisoo

My life so far is way too dramatic even for a drama queen. I have had countless marriages proposals and 2 divorces already. Who knows, if I hurry up, I might even beat Elizabeth Taylor!

Do I look for thrill all the time? Well, it's hard to say. I suppose I am simply addicted to the feelings of making people fall in love with me. And of course I do fall in love sometimes too, although usually with the wrong guys.

To be honest, I actually prefer a simple and slow life, but somehow my restless soul keeps wandering, from place to place and from man to man.

When I hear declaration of love, I often can’t decide if I should be impressed or depressed. When I am asked for my hand in marriage, I usually have to stall for an answer.

Thus I keep wandering, while wondering what’s wrong with me.