The Mighty Detour

It's all on the perspective

2011-11-13T11:37:00.000-08:00

So, what a lousy week. Last Sunday I managed to catch the cold/ throat and ear infection that Bibu enjoyed during the Toussaint school holidays. So feeling miserable was the order of the week, coupled with the fact that i had a long winded meeting on Monday and Tuesday that I could not NOT attend and the fact that my boss was on holidays for three weeks. She's in the Bahamas now, by the way. Yeah, I could really hate her but she's a very cool boss, so no.

So have been feeling crap all week. Friday was a public holiday and I spent it at home doing pretty much nothing. Felt much better for it and I am not decidedly on the mend, albeit with a very stuffed nose and cracked lips for breathing through my mouth all the time. The house is tissue central.

This cold situation is coupled with another health-related item that is going on and all that has really affected me. It's funny how we always notice how good it is to be healthy when you have been feeling miserable for a while. And, it's only a cold, but it does enough to tint everything around you with a dark cloud layer. Or maybe it's just me.

For the first time since I got back to work just over a couple of months ago, last week I really did not feel like doing anything at all. Not going to work, not cooking, not answering calls from friends, nada. I have also been sleeping very badly for the last few weeks. I am super tired, but then lie in bed for hours thinking about all the things that could go wrong, all the things I am not good at, etc.

And then I watched a couple of documentaries on TV that got me thinking. the first one was a documentary on Flemish TV on a journalist visiting present-day Somalia and showing how life equals to pretty much nothing there, people roaming the destroyed streets of Mogadishu and living in the rubble, risking their lives with every step. Definitely something that we are not very often confronted with. As people living in the "first world" (whatever that might mean) we have a vague idea that there are people in least fortunate countries living in war, poverty and hunger. But it's all so theoretical, so far removed from us. It doesn't stop us from spending money on things we don't need or in wasting things life food and water, which might mean life or death to others.

The second one, on the famous French ENVOYE SPECIAL programme, was a report on the food waste generated by supermarkets, how in most cases all things which are deemed not for sale are thrown into the garbage bin. And how increasing numbers of people are living off this "garbage" which is still in quite good condition. I used to think that opening garbage bags to feed yourself was the lowest you could go and that it was something you would only see in underdeveloped countries, but in fact, the reality is more about how we as a society are buying too much, then throwing away perfectly OK food.

So I been thinking about perspectives. Yes, I was feeling like crap this past week, miserable and anxious about a few things that are going on in my life today, but compared to these things, it's nothing. My life is not perfect by no means, but I realised how privileged I am in the life I lead, how I can have anything I need and lots of things I don't actually need, with astounding ease. Once again I was focusing on the negative and forgeting about the positive: the great things that I have in the shape of a family that I love and that loves me, Bibu, Mr M, my friends, a job, a house.......... the list could go on a on.

Anyway, now re-reading this post seems like a badly written new age thing, but it's just this small realisation that most of us are really spoilt for choice. We have too much, we don't value what we have and we worry too much about stupid things.

The writer of one of the blogs I follow, who is going through an unbelievably sad family time, but with awe-inspiring humanity and resilience, had one of the best closing lines on a post today. I am stealing it now with pride:

"Don't go to bed angry with anyone tonight. Big hugs all around"

I"ll second that!

Have a great week, whoever you are who's reading this.

D-day + 1 month

2011-10-03T09:38:00.000-07:00

How did this happen?

Well, yes, D-day came and went, and here I am, one month later and nothing to show for it?

Yep, I am busy-busy-busy. Work is gathering pace. Immediately I was thrown into a one cool project that was launched a couple of weeks after returning and that has kept me, and continues to keep me, rather busy; Days at the office seem to fly by, which is a good sign, I think. Bored I am not.

And, I have been DRIVING for over one month already. The first few days I was actually more worried about the driving to and from the office that of going back to work in itself. And although the pararlel parking bit is still not my forte and I can only manage it in about 5 to 6 movements as oposed to the official 3, I can honestly say that I am begining to enjoy it. Sitting in the traffic jams is not nice, but from everything I take a lesson.

This afternoon, for example, as there was already a long queue in the street next to my office in the direction I usually take, so I decided to try a new way home. It was quite good, albeit a bit nerve-wracking at times, as I was not familiar with the turning areas, etc. At one point I did indeed turn on the wrong street, too early, and had to make a detour and lost a few minutes returning to the avenue where I was supposed to be. But, hey, it's another feather on my bow.

All practice is good, before I sit for the practical exam sometime in November (aggggg, trying not to think about it too much)

Other than the working and the driving, another novelty of this past month is how tired I am. It's running from home to work to Bibu's school to pick him up, back to home the whole day. I can tell you, by 10pm I am ready to go to sleep.............and do it all over the next day, starting at 6:30.

But hey, cannot complain to much, really. The transition has been quite smooth and slowly the pieces of the puzzle are coming together.

D-day minus 2

2011-08-30T11:13:00.000-07:00

In two days............ I'm going back to work! Yep, it's been 28 months of a sort of 'sabbatical' during which I moved with Bibu and Mr M to Tokyo and experienced the expat-wife life in all it's Asian glory. There was also that earth-moving thingy that happened back in March this year, but let's not spoil the memories.

I guess, however, that come Thursday, the one thing I will be asked over and over at the office will be 'how was living through an earthquake'. But well, cannot complain. The hype of me returning to the office will probably wither out after a few days. Will make sure I milk the prodigal daughter thing as much as I can. I am even considering baking some apple and cinnamon muffins, see? They will love me, hahaha.........

September 1st will also mark the return to school for Bibu. I have been mentioning this event to him a few times over the last few days, along with the fact that from now on I will also work. I wonder how it would be like. Hopefully the change to longer days will not be too tough on him. We'll see.

In the countdown to the D Day, things are pretty tame at home. Weather is Belgian crapitude at its best, cold as winter and grey, grey, grey............. Not much going on except trips to the supermarket intertwined with stops in the park, at the pet shop, at the toy shop, at the book shop............. and so on. Plus long indulgent afternoon naps. All that will change soon, so might as well enjoy it, right?

Ta-dah for now !

Easy Sunday in Brussels

2011-07-17T12:45:00.000-07:00

So, yes, we're back in Brussels. In fact, we've been back for over three months, writing in my blog not being an obvious priority, obviously.

Anyway, been back, my parents came in late April to visit and stayed for over 5 weeks. Bibu had his first stint at a Belgian pre-school during June. I enrolled and completed a 20-hour driving course at a very cool driving school. Visited the Antwerpen Zoo and Planckendael about 4657313644360 times already this summer. Went an incredible three times to the movies (OK, one was to watch Cars 2 with Bibu, so that probably doesn't count) and even managed to meet up regularly with friends.

Today, in view of the totally impredictable and now frankly crazy weather we are having in good old Brussels, I arranged to meet up for brunch with my boss (who's also a friend). She's not from Brussels, so I decided to show her the bringht lights of the city (ha-ha) and we went to this place in Brugman square. It has a terrace where one a sunny day you almost need to fight with your teeth to get a table. But today, we had a good sense to look for a place inside, which quickly became more crowded than outside. Anyway, had a nice chat on all things work and gossip, dusted with a bit of our personal lives quests and challenges. It was really nice. After brunch, emboldened by the few rays of sunshine coming through, we went for a little walk in the nearby park Tenbosh, which is one of my favourite parks in Brussels.

After that, I arrived home to a very silent house. Bibu and Mr M were sleeping the siesta very sweetly, so I let them be. I retired to tackle more earthly matters, like the Kilimanjaro of ironing that has been waiting for me for over two weeks.

And so, that was my Sunday. Nothing too earth-shattering, but a nice girly chat and some plain domesticity. Sometimes, it's all one needs.

Japan's biggest earthquake in Japan............and we were there....

2011-03-12T04:49:00.000-08:00

So, probably everyone knows about the 8.9 earthquake that shook Japan yesterday afternoon. In the almost two years I live in Tokyo, this has been by far the worst and apparently Japan's worst in 140 years, since they begun recording them.

I wrote my experience of the moment of the quake for Argentinian newspaper La Nacion. Here is the transcript (it's on Spanish only, sorry!)

"El sismo se sintió súper fuerte en Tokio. Yo estaba en casa con mi hijo de 2 años y de repente, a eso de las 14.50 hora local de Japón, se empezó a mover todo. Fue muy fuerte y duró mucho, como dos minutos fuerte y otros cinco un poco más leve. Cuando paró un poquito empecé a preparar la mochila que tenés que tener lista en caso de evacuación, con un poco de agua y comida, una radio a dinamo, etc, y agarré a mi hijo para irnos afuera. No se cayó nada dentro de mi departamento, pero las puertas anti-fuego del edificio se habían accionado todas. El portero estaba muy asustado pero vino a decirnos que según la radio no había que evacuar, pero como yo estaba tan nerviosa preferí irme para el parque cercano a casa donde es el punto de encuentro en caso de catástrofes. En la puerta de calle ya estábamos reunidos casi todos los vecinos del edificio, con nuestros hijos y nos fuimos al parque y ahí se sintió otro temblor fuerte, tanto que un taxista se bajó del taxi que se movía horizontalmente con mucha fuerza. Los cables de electricidad (en Japón son aéreos por los terremotos) se movían un montón, lo mismo que los árboles. En el parque Arisugawa, donde nos reunimos, hay una estatua ecuestre de bronce pesadísima que se movía un montón. Estuvimos en el parque como dos horas y luego fuimos a casa de una amiga que vi en el parque, que vive cerca y en planta baja. Ahí nos quedamos otro par de horas, sintiendo varios temblores leves más. Dicen que hoy hubo más de 40 temblores en Japón. Todo el transporte público se cortó y el tráfico es un caos. Mi esposo tuvo que volverse caminando de la oficina una hora y media a pie y le prestó una de nuestras bicicletas a un colega que vive a 50 kilómetros de Tokio porque no funciona ningún tren. Hace dos años que vivo en Tokio y, en general, los japoneses ni se mosquean cuando hay un temblor. Esta es la primera vez que los veo súper asustados. Pero eso sí, súper bien preparados. Por ejemplo, enseguida la gente se puso el casco anti terremotos y veías muchos nenes con la protección para la cabeza. Y la gente súper ordenada. Vi por la calle mucha gente con bolsitas con comida y botellitas de agua, comprando mucho como para pasar la noche o un par de días, pero ninguna escena de histeria ni pánico. Ahora vamos a intentar dormir un poco, pero hay un temblor leve cada 30 minutos más o menos, así que calculo que va a ser una noche larga."

Right now, we are closely following the news on the issues at the Fukushima nuclear plant. Apparently the latest news say that the radioactive leak has been small and there is no immediate risk for Tokyo. It's surreal times. There are still tremors as I write this. In all honesty, I just want to be out of Japan as soon as possible. We are living in a month's time to Belgium, anyway. But I cannot wait. We are even looking into available flights out of the country..... I just hope things stabilise and the tremors end. My thoughts go to all the afected people, people in the refuges and the ones who have lost family members or friends. It's a horrible experience and we in Tokyo got it relatively easy.

Eight little boys in kimono

2011-03-06T17:05:00.000-08:00

So, last Friday was the day of the delayed photoshoot with all the boys from Bibu's class at kindergarden. A while ago, all maums had agreed on organising a photo session with the boys dressed in taditional kimono, at a small photo studio in the same floor of the Acachan Honpo shop in Gotanda. I thought it was a great idea, as it will be a wonderful souvenir for Bibu of his friends in Japan, specially since it looks like we'll be heading home for good end of April (iupiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!)

Anyway, the first date we agreed upon had to be cancelled as Bibu was sick, so last Friday was the re-scheduling. It went fairly well, considering the appointment was right after school, early in the afternoon, which is the nap-time for most of the kids. By the end of it, they were all cranky, tearful and sleepy, but we managed to get a couple of nice photos of the whole bunch. At least some where noe of them was picking their nose/ crying/ trying to escape/ all the above.

I chose a green jacket kimono for Bibu and he kind of stood out among the more demure blue and grey kimonos of the Japanese kids. Probably a gaijin faux-pas, but well, it's not about blending in the background, uh? Will share the result as soon as it becomes available. Watch this space.

Please, February, end once and for all!

2011-02-27T17:56:00.000-08:00

Yes, indeed, please. Just go away. You have brought us.....

1) stomac flu. All three of us had it on your first week back from Argentina. Nothing to feel more at home than a good old gut-spilling bug to begin the Chinese new year in top form. The worst I've felt in years.... Made me realise how great is to have good health and how trully minor things like a stomac bug can ruin your life

2) more sickness for Bibu, as in 6 days of continuous high fever courtesy of an ear and throat infection. Lovely....

3) depressing weather... I'm done with the cold, ok?

4) depressing reading: Sylvia Plath's "The Bell Jar" is a great book, but surely not for February, right?

5) Mr M being away on a business trip for 10 days (also, said business trip was to Belgium, so big envy vibes going on) Add point 5 to all previous points and you get the picture.

So, I won't me missing you, dear February 2011. Bye.

A first in Tokyo

2011-02-24T02:17:00.000-08:00

Bibu is playing next to me on the sofa (yes, the yellow one) and watching his 51651752175626 episode of Thomas the Tank Engine. He (Bibu, not Thomas) has been sick since Monday evening, when a low fever started. When the low fever turned into 40 degrees yesterday evening, I called the doctor and made an appointment for this morning.

As I suspected, he had an ear infection. It's been his first ear infection since we live in Tokyo. He used to have them very often in Brussels, what with the chilly and damp weather being the ideal weather for them. Oh, well, it's good to know at least what it was. Being the stoic and hyperactive kid he is, it was hard to even tell he was sick, apart from the readings in the thermometer.

So, with the exception of this morning, when we went out for a grand total of an hour to go to the doctor, we have been confined inside the appartment for the last three days. Mr M being in Belgium until today didn't make things any easier. Thank God he's back.

So, the casa de Detoured is a bit like a cabin these days. Bibu has the fever and I have the cabin fever.

It was a weekend of....

2011-02-20T02:25:00.000-08:00

Finally visiting the DAIEI close to Toritsu Daigaku, sharing a sugar-glazed doughnut with Bibu at Stabucks, missing the pony ride in Himonya park for a few minutes, attending a proper for-grown-ups-only housewarming party that our ex next door neighbours threw in their quite lovely new appartment in Roppongi, going for a long lunch in Nakameguro followed by walk to the park and some super delicious cheesecake and pancakes at Daikanyama with one of the mums from Bibu's school and his son.

In short, I ate a lot of sugary, evil things. But oh, so good....mmmmm!

Mr M away in the grey country (a.k.a. Belgium) since last Tuesday and back next Thursday. Doing it all on your own for 10 days in a row is hard, hard, hard. Again, my respect to single parents worldwide. It's now 19:30 and I am very tempted to jump under the duvet and call it a day, but it just feels wrong. Will hang on with chopsticks under my eyelids if necessary until.......mmmm, maybe 21:00 or something. Much, much better!

Ciao, bellos!

Setsubun and Chinese New Year

2011-02-02T22:28:00.000-08:00

So, today is the Chinese New Year! Happy New Year to all ! (again). Good that I have not yet acted on any of my New Year Resolutions, pfew! :-)

It's also time for Setsubun here in Japan. For some strange reason, this bizarre chasing-demon-out celebration holds a special place in my heart. Maybe it's because it is all so..... magical and silly in a way. But also optimistic, full of new hope for the upcoming spring and new beginnings.

Roasted soya beans

Literaly, Setsubun means "division of the seasons" and it marks the end of the winter according to the lunar calendar. It usually falls either on February 3 or 4 (which is a bit early for ending the winter if you ask me, but well). On the evening of Setsubun, one must throw roasted soybeans inside and outside the house while repeating "Fortune in, devils out"! so as to invite good luck inside the house and chase the bad luck out.Typically, the oldest male of the house has to wear a demon (Oni) mask and the children chase him while throwing roasted soybeans at him.You are also supposed to eat the same number of soybeans as your age. Needless to say, Bibu has already failed at this point, as he has already eaten his roasted soybean bag that he got at school. I ate a few ones, but cannot remember how many....wonder if there is room for liberalism in this point.

Another practice from recent years it to eat a "Ehoo-maki" or giant sushi-roll filled with shiitake mushroom, cucumber, eel and so on. For good luck, one must eat it facing the "happy direction" while keeping quiet. I asked my Japanese teacher yesterday about this "happy direction" and she mentioned it changes every year and this year it is "south-south-west", as determined by the monks of the main shinto shrine in Japan.

So today I went for a walk in Jiyugaoka and bought a couple of these Ehoo-makis for Bibu and for me (Mr M has an office get-together tonight so will miss on the Setsubun fun. My maki is a traditional one and for Bibu I got one filled with tonkatsu. not very setsubun-ish but he will definitely eat that one. Mr M has more or less figured out the "happy direction" from our dining room, so we will be facing it at dinner. Not too confident that we will achieve the "eating it while keeping quiet" bit, but hopefully that's not the crucial point, hehe.

Leaving tomorrow

2011-01-19T18:53:00.000-08:00

Buenos Aires, that is. After a good five weeks living the grand life down in good old Baires, meeting up with friends and family and working my way through far too much carne, it's time to call it a day and go back to Tokyo.

After taking Mr M's parents to Ezeiza airport this morning, my dad and I came back home and I started work on the suitcase packing. Thank God I bought an extra bag and got the Uniqlo manly baby-bag. In the end I'll be checking in one big suitcase and two bags. Didn't feel like I bought too much stuff, but when is time to pack, all those bottles of shampoo and hair dye and cheese and quince paste make up for a lot of space and weight.

Packing is more or less done. Couple of things still, but I have tomorrow morning to take care of that. My head now is filled with dread. Dread at the "goodbyes" moment when my parents walk Bibu and I up to the entrance to migrations. I don't want to think about it, it will be HARD. It's always hard and you would have thought by now I should be a pro at saying "see you in four months". But no, it doesn't get better, and with Bibu on the equation, it just gets worse every time.

En fin........ it's part of the reality I live in, must put a brave face on and get on with it. Anyway, not looking forward to that AT ALL.

Also not looking forward to 36+ hours travelling with a two-and-7-months boy........... Why oh why must Tokyo be on the other side of the planet? Grrr......

Bon, I think it's time to go to sleep. I guess this will be my last sleep in a horizontal, comfortable position in the forthcoming 50 hours, so better make the best of it.

Over and out, back in a few days from the land of the salarymen and the OLs, the TOTO washlet and the green tea kit-kats.

Online happiness is...

2011-01-17T13:21:00.000-08:00

Still living the summer life in Buenos Aires. Cannot say I miss anything about Tokyo, except Mr M, who had to go back a few days ago as someone has to work and bring home the bacon in the Detoured household. Bibu and I are coming back in a couple of days........not looking forward to the trip back home at all. But well, until teletransportation is developed, will have to brave the gazillion hour flights up to the land of the rising sun.

In the meantime, these are the blogs that manage to put a smile on my face every time. Pure visual bliss:

http://www.designspongeonline.com/
http://www.desiretoinspire.net/
http://emmas.blogg.se/
http://www.thecoolhunter.net/

Alert: these blogs will make you want to redecorate. You have been warned!

2011 starts on the 10th

2011-01-09T17:41:00.000-08:00

So, new year, new life, right? Except for me the proverbial 2011 penny only dropped today.

People, we're in 2011.

Welcome you all and buckle up. The pages are blank (much like this blog, in a fashion), possibilitties are endless, many forks lay ahead in the road....

Love it.

Me, I've been in Buenos Aires for three weeks now. It seems, and actually is, a long time, but it feels like they passed in a blur now. First week: first meetings with friends and family and the cheerful pandemonium that is Christmas. Second week: trip to Chile and Mendoza with Mr M, Bibu, Mr M's parents and mine. Loved it all and had great weather. Towards the end Bibu got a bit "lack-of-any-kind-of-rutine" crazy, but well, it's to be expected with so much going on, so much attention on him and the fact that everything happens later here in Argentina. Third week: more get togethers with friends and family and Mr M going back to Tokyo yesterday (someone has to work in the Detoured household, after all) He should be arriving in a few hours. Missing him already....snifff.

Anyway, since we're already on the 10thg day of this new year, I thought it's high time I polished up my resolutions for the year. Every year they are a slightly re-incarnation of the previous one, but I just love making them, so here it goes:

NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS v.2011

Lose those 5 kilos once and for all
Relax a bit more and worry only when it's actually called for (and know the difference)
Get Belgian driving license (deja-vu all around)
Infuse this blog with a breath of life (a.k.a write more often)
Focus, focus, focus (hocus pokus focus)
Family-related resolution (not forpublic consumption)
Work-related resolution (ditto)

Cheerio!

To Sint or not to Sint?

2010-11-21T19:48:00.000-08:00

We're almost in December, last month of the year, month of Christmas and New Year Eve (and my birthday, yay!) Being the international family that we are, it's also the month for Sinterklaas.

Sinterklaas is celebrated mostly in Flemish and Ducth areas of influence. Which is an elegant way of saying part of northeast France and also Surinam . Anyway, this chap Sinterklaas, or Saint Nicolas, or Sint , is clearly the "inspiration" for the Santa Claus figure, they bear an uncanny resemblance, bar the stuffy fur-trimmed suit that Santa Claus wears courtesy of some people in advertising.

I won't bother you with all the details of the Sint's figure (you have Wikipedia for that) Main difference is that the Belgo/Dutch "Sint" comes either on the eve of the 5th December or the morning on the 6th (for the Dutch is on the 5th, for the Belgians on the 6th). When I first arrive in Belgium and heard about Sinterklaas, my first thought was this coming on the 6th of December and then the coming 'again' of Santa Claus on the 24th was a bit of an overload of presents and downright confusing for kids. Turns out, the two are not equally celebrated, with the Sint amply kicking Santa's red derriere in the popularity polls in Belgium and Nederlands. Children in Belgium tend to get the most important present through the Sint and then something a bit more restrained on Christmas Eve. Also, to my knowledge, the Sinterklaas celebration is a nuclear family only business (mum, dad and children at home) while Christmas is really the getting together of the extended family thing.

Anyway, this whole explanation comes because I am wondering, besides getting Bibu the toy yellow excavator of his dreams as a present from the Sint, if we should do the whole bells and whistles proper celebration and ask him to put his shoes out and leave food for Sint's horse the eve of the 5th, as most kids do in Belgium, or not. I never really believed in Santa Claus, but I did believe in the Three Kings that come in January (oh, I've forgotten about those) and I guess this is all part of his culture, and he has two sets of celebrations to benefit from. It's just that it bothers me quite a lot that Christmas everywhere in the world tends to be only about presents and bearded fat men in ridiculous red suits and zilch about the birth of Jesus and all that. Not that I am the most religious person in the world, far from it, but I wonder what would most kids say if asked what do we actually celebrate in Christmas..........

You know I'm back, I'm back, I'm really, really back! (and baking)

2010-11-15T19:35:00.000-08:00

And, another month (and a bit) has run by........swoooooosh!

I will not bother you with the not blogging in ages situation, as I usually do, ha. Instead, look!

Yes, I've been baking! Not that I have been busy baking this beauty for a month, though. In case you are wondering, it's a ham, cheese and onion (and cherry tomato) tart, done completely from scratch, dough (or should I say pie pastry?) included. Thing is, you cannot get a decent ready made pie crust here in Tokyo, not even at the nearby overpaid expats' supermarket. All I've found in the past is some puff pastry squares that are just too delicate and disintegrate at first glance. The dough recipe comes from an Argentinian cooking book that my brother and sister in law gave me last time I was there. It's full of staple homely and old fashioned recipes, and I love it.

Besides the baking, I have finally acted upon my desire to say "adios" to Nearby Posh Gym, and have resorted to do some exercise at home with a DVD and use the bicycle as much as I can. The bicycle bit is going great, I have even gotten over my fear of carrying Bibu in the child seat for fear of falling and I am doing the school run in two wheels, iuhoooooo! The DVD part is patchy, to say the least and if I can manage two times a week is an achievement. At this rate, my plans to shed 5 kilos before I arrive in Buenos Aires next month will continue to remain wishful thinking. Oh, well.....

Talking about the BA trip this year, still need to do lots of organising bits and pieces, such as securing a couple of domestic trips for my parents in law, who will come with us for the first time. We're already made the arrangements for a trip to the wine regions of Chile and Mendoza with them and my parents, so at least we will escape the oven that is BA in the summer for a few days. Also, looking forward to seeing my brother and sister in law and other friends and family over there. It' been long, over a year now, and I miss them.

Bibu is growing at a demented speed. Not only is he growing very tall, but also his talking skills and overall transition from baby to little boy are incredible. He's very very funny and a sweet boy most of the time. The rest, he is, well, a two-and-a-half little gremlin. Not different from most other children that age, I guess. He's still not entirely into toilet training, but he has promised he will use the toilet at his grandma's house in BA. At least the floors are easy to clean over there.....hehehe. He continues to be fascinated by dinosaurs, monsters, spiders, cars, trains, construction trucks and excavators. And singing, and dancing, and wanting his mamma to dance with him on impromptu dances in the living room. Really looking forward to taking him in BA. Will have a great time.

Right. TTFN or 'ta-ta for now', as Tigger would say. I am hoping my next post will be before we go to BA. let's cross fingers!

LAST MINUTE: in case you were wondering, Belgium still has no government. It does have lots of flooding at the moment

2010-10-07T03:44:00.000-07:00

So, it's been ages. What has happened, dear reader (in case you exist) that has caused such a hiatus, you wonder? Has Detoured Girl taken significant steps in her world domination strategy? Have I been hidding inside a 100 Yen shop ? Nooo, but the thought is rather alluring, I must say........

But enough about me. There are more pressing questions, such as:

Does Belgium have a new government? NO

Do these creatures, known as "Belgian politicians" made any significant progress towards reaching anything that remotely resembles an agreement, so that a new government can be designated? NO

Does Bart de Wever resemble a toad? YES

Does Elio Di Rupo resemble a waiter in a decrepit seaside hotel? YES, very. (he might be a lost relative of Manuel in Fawlty Towers)

Does this whole business look insane? YES

Are we tired of it? YES. If there was ever a better example of the lunatic situation of the Belgian political system, this is it. Anyway, enough if it already. I am getting itchy and it's not even my country (albeit my adoptive country and I do love it)

Anyway, what other stuff has happened since I last posted anything in this undignified blog? Erm............. parents in law are visiting, replacement godfather and godmother (I'll explain that one of these days) visited and left yesterday, we are going to Hiroshima for the long weekend ("Sports Day" on Monday in Japan, gotta love these ridiculous public holidays) and tomorrow, the -purple- highlight of my week: sweet potato digging field trip at Bibu's school.

Report on the level of purpleness of sweet potatoes to come. Watch this space.

Welcome autumn

2010-09-22T00:15:00.000-07:00

I love the change of seasons. I love change in general, and a new season, like a new year, are like a crisp white new sheet of paper, full of promise and possibility and ready to be filled with new and exciting things. Among all the seasons, autumn is my favourite one. In Argentina, I couldn't wait until the long soporific summer was over and it was cool in the mornings and evenings again. In Belgium, I suppose I lost a bit the longing for autumn, as, well, Belgian summer IS like autumn and autumn and winter are just one long straight road to chilly and damp days.

In Japan, though, and specially this year summer has been long and incredibly hot (the hottest 113 years) So I cannot tell you how happy I am with the official end of the summer. Tonight is "Shubun no Hi" or autumnal equinox, there will be a full moon and, according to the weather forecast, as of tomorrow temperatures will drop to 24 degrees. My Japanese teacher has told me that the custom is to decorate your windowsill with pampas grass and "mochi" (sweet rice cakes) as an offering. I don't think there will be much pampas grass in our appartment, but I will certainly be celebrating.

And, since we're on an inspiring note, here's a little quote from a poster you can buy in the UK (the author is Jerome K Jerome):

"Let your boat of life be light. Packed with only what you need: a homely home and simple pleasures; someone to love and someone to love you; a cat, a dog and a pipe or two; enough to eat and to wear and a little more than enough to drink, for thirst is a dangerous thing."

Happy Autumn everybody!

You've been in Tokyo for too long when you..... (part I)

2010-09-13T23:19:00.000-07:00

Instinctively keep to the left when walking on the street/ riding an escalator/ riding a bike (and continue doing so in Belgium....)
Forget to lock the bike when doing the shopping and leave it unlocked for hours at a time
Cannot imagine stepping outside during the summer without a parasol or enormous cotton hat
Know the Hibiya line like the palm of your hand.
Know which is the right exit -and can find it- in Shinjuku station.
Own at least one brow-sweat-mopping-towel-thingy (and are not afraid of using it)
TOTO toilets hold no secrets for you.
Manage to eat soba without spraying your clothes with sauce.
Don't worry when the delivery guys have been while you were out, as you know they'll be back tomorrow (and the day after, and the day after that, until they find you)
You feel bad about leaving minuscule crumbs on the floor after you've had a pic-nic

Kaizen my b***s!

2010-09-07T05:31:00.000-07:00

Back when I started to work, ages ago in 1996, I worked for a big automotive company (whose founder said "you can have the car in any colour as long as it's black") There was a lot of hoo-ha about the Japanese efficency maximising methods, I believe it's called "kaizen" or such. Anyway, today I am wondering if there is any concept that can be called "the reverse of kaizen" (I couldn't find it in Wikipedia) because today.......

......was one of those days....

Yesterday afternoon, I was giving Bibu his bath when I heard my cell phone ring. Thinking it would be Mr M reporting from the battlefield (a.k.a. Shangai) where he is all week on a business trip, I took the trouble of taking Bibu fast out of the water and I run to the kitchen to take the call, but, alas, too late. I checked the number to call Mr M back but saw that it was a local Tokyo number. Funny how the first thought on my mind was: "this cannot be the idiots from Nearby Posh Gym AGAIN".

Surely enought, IT WAS.

Lady from Nearby Posh Gym leaving message in barely understandable Engrish (fair enough, I am the one who doesn't speak the native tongue) said that August and September had not been paid yet and could I pay them in cash next time I go to gym? Of course, darling, although wasn't it the idea that after filling my direct debit form FOR THE FOURTH TIME in two months these amounts would debit themselves automatically each month?

My first reaction upon hearing the message was to find out how could I cancel my membership, go there, pay the pending months and tell them to (EXPLETIVE OF THE THIRD KIND). Upon talking with the ever chilled out Mr M this morning, he said something along the lines of "don't do it, it's conveniently located, you like the ballet classes, etc". Damn, he had a point. Grr........ so I today decided to put my very best "meek and with Gandhi-like patience gaijin" impersonation and pay Nearby Posh Gym a visit.

After checking in and nobody at the front desk telling me anything, I went to my hippo-ballet class as usual. Afterwards, feeling all saintly and fresh from the nice shower (they do have the nicest bathroom and locker area, these Nearby Posh Gym dorks) I grinned and waited for the best. Surely enough, the problem was the one it always is: bank says signature on the debit form does not match signature registered on the bank. The last time we had to fill in the form, Mr M himself went there to fill it in (our bank account here is on his name) and still there is a problem.

First girl at front desk who tried to help me did not get a single word from English. Second girl apparently did, but still could not give me a clear explanation of what the problem is and how it can be fixed. When she presented me with the FIFTH direct debit form to be filled in, I had to restrain myself from attacking her with an ax. Luckily, there was a Hungarian lady there who spoke perfect Japanese and offered to do the translation.

In the end, after more looking into papers and realising that there is a differnce between asking to "write your name" and "sign" (maybe because there is no such difference in Japanese?) girl said they were still waiting for confirmation from the bank that the form we had filled last time was approved. WTF??

I wonder, people of Nearby Posh Gym, wouldn't it be better, if you know that these particular bank is so anal about checking signatures, that you ask your customers to go DIRECTLY to the bank, sort the form out and then RETURN to the gym? Or maybe that's too revolutionary a thought.........mmmmmmm

In the end, I paid August and September in cash and left with the promise that from October onwards, each installment will be debited from my account.

I bet all my life savings that in a few weeks I'll receive another call from nearby Posh Gym asking me please to come fill in the form again. Betting in Japan is illegal, so there you go.

Kaizen, schmitzen.

Morning detours: Shimokitazawa

2010-09-02T23:05:00.000-07:00

So today I went to Shimokitazawa, or "Shimokita",as it is known among le cool Tokyo. It is apparently very popular with students for its second hand clothes shops and variety of little cafes and bars and generally relaxed vibe.

To get there, I took the Keio Inokashira line from Shibuya. It's just one stop on the express train, so very easy to get to. I took the North/ South exit which immediately pours into an array of narrow streets crisscrossing the whole neighbourhood.

Most shops open only at 11:00 and some even later. I arrived around 10:30, so I walked around the area for a bit. There are plenty of nice cafes and bars that surely must come to life at night. There is the ubiquitous Starbucks as well, but in general the feeling is of being in a small cute town "à la Japonaise".

Shopping-wise, besides the big Daimaru Peacock supermarket in front of the station, which harbours a UNIQLO and a big bookshop, and the MUJI close to the West exit, the main attraction in Shimokita are the second hand clothes shops and a variety of bazaar like shops, much like the OUTLET but with a country: romantic style. I was looking for a vintage posters shop, which a friend had recommended, but could not find it and at 12:30 I called it a day and decide to head back to pick up Bibu from daycare.

Should definitely be back with Mr M to check it out in the evening. One of these days....

No sleep till Tokyo!

2010-08-10T23:05:00.000-07:00

We're back.

And jet-lagged as hell.

Arrived yesterday morning in Narita, after a 20-hour-no-sleep-trip-with-bouncy-two-year-old-boy. The trip in itself was OK, as in no delays and all the luggage arrived at the same time as us (which is not usually the case) but flying alone with Bibu is certainly a health hazard. The first leg of the trip, BXL-Helsinki, went very well and he even played in a civilized way with two Japanese little girls. All laughs and smiles and "cute" looks from fellow passengers.

Once landed in Helsinki, things descended well below standards, with Bibu lying on the floor of the terminal while we were queueing for migrations and refusing to stand up and walk, or any other petition from my side; Bibu asking for one thing then wanting another and finally erupting into theatrical sobs when he didn'y get his way.

Ommm..............

The 10-hour flight Helsinki-Tokyo went in the same spirit, with a progressively super-tired Bibu who refused to sleep (or let his poor mother sleep). By now the looks of our fellow passengers were not so cute anymore.... More ommmmm...............

But well, we survived. And now onto the jet-lag! We finally arrived home around lunchtime, all sweaty so straight into the shower and then to sleep. We managed 4 solid hours but at least on my side the zombie-like feeling is still very palpable. That was probably aided by darling Bibu waking up at 1am last night and refusing to go back to sleep until 4:30am, when we recognised defeat and brought him to sleep in our bed. I think Mr M's initial delight and happiness at seing us again yesterday evening was put to the test during this early morning scream-athon session.

I cancelled my Japanese lesson of today as I was in no way capable of holding any attention for more than 30 seconds without wanting to lay down. Bibu is currently sleeping his nap, so we'll see how it goes tonight. I am hoping for the best but bracing myself for another horrid night.

Tomorrow, thank God, our cleaning lady comes and around lunchtime Mr M's brother and friend arrive from Brussels. They'll be staying for about a month, so hopefully plenty of opportunities for Mr M and I to go out just the two of us, something that has not happened in ages.

Post about out two weeks in BXL comming soon.

Brussels, here we come!

2010-07-21T22:51:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, we all leave for Brussels, hooray! Cannot being to tell you how excited I am to escape the roasting Tokyo summer for two weeks (seasoned expats confirm my fears that in August it will get even warmer) I'll worry about that in two weeks. For the moment, I am preparing myself to enjoy the Belgian summer in all it's wet and chilly glory. Just checked the weather forecast and it averages a nice 25 degrees for the few days to come. Sweet.

The social agenda is in full swing. It's already quite full, what with cathcing up with friends, meeting new babies of said friends that happened to pop up of their mum's insides recently and spending time with Mr M's family, who no doubt will be charmed by non-stop-talking Bibu. Some shopping is also on the cards -we're in the middle of the sales season, after all- but mostly it will be about having a nice time and living la dolce vita in Belgio.

Ah..... like all things one looks forward to, I know it will be over so fast....!

What will surely feel very long will be the actual trip there. Bibu and I booked our tickets over a month ago and are flying via Helsinki (cheapest we could find, hope the Finnish volcano is also taking summer holidays) Mr M, in true Mr M nature (i.e: why do things with plenty of time if you can do them at the last minute?) Only booked his ticket two days ago, managed to use his miles but will travel on a different airline, departing from a different terminal. His flight leaves two hours earlier than ours, but I've decided that we'll all take the Narita Express together. I really dont' feel like taking a taxi alone with Bibu, dragging our monster suitcase + baby stroller + wriggly two-year-old boy on my own. As usual, I am not expecting much sleep and relaxation during the flight, but I shall have plenty of that once in Belgium (I hope)

Right, I should start packing now. See you in BXLs!

Up Tokyo Tower

2010-07-14T05:11:00.000-07:00

So, what to do in Tokyo with a two-year-old on a typical "will it rain, won't it rain" kind of day? Well, the original plan was to go to the Epson Acquarium in Shinagawa, but found that it was closed on Tuesdays, so a no go. After some frenetically searching through the pages of "Japan with Kids", it appeared that Bibu and I would be seeing some fish, although not the "ballenas" and "tiburones" he wanted to see.

Tokyo Tower does indeed have a small acquarium. Very small and rather on the sad side, in the sense that the bigger fish are enclosed in a pool just big enough to fit them and nothing else. I even witnessed one fish eating another, so not sure about the care these little ones are getting.

Anyway, you don't need to pay the entrance to the observatorium to visit the acquarium, which is in the ground floor of the tower itself. There is also a bouncy castle kind of playground on the 4th floor and a few fast-food restaurants on the second. But getting to Tokyo Tower and not visiting the observatorium would be kind of stupid, so up we went and had a look around.

It was good for a rainy day, but again, a bit shabby in Tokyo standards.

One year on

2010-07-05T05:30:00.000-07:00

On a day like today, exactly one year ago, Bibu and I took a plane to join Mr M here in Tokyo. A couple of days before that, I went to Rock Werchter and saw The Killers live, which remains as 'my best rock festival experience' so far. It was a lovely sunny day, we ate mosselen with fries and a glass (or two) of champagne, as you do.

Three days later, I arrived with 13-month-old, barely walking Bibu to a very hot and humid Tokyo. Hot and humid, just like it is now. Among my first impressions of living in Tokyo were the incredible amounts of insects that take over the city in the summer: the constant background noise of the cicadas, the gigantic cockroaches, the enormous stag-beetles, mosquitoes and spiders....

The first few weeks were spent roaming around the neighbourhood, getting to know the supermarkets and trying to make some sense of the labels in Japanese. We arrived into an empty apartment building, everybody was at their home countries and there was virtually nobody to talk with, bar some small talk here and there with other mums in the park. Bibu slept quite a lot, a bit in the morning and a bit in the afternoon, so our trips outside were short and not too far away from the house. For the first couple of months, I didn't dare to go outside before 4:30pm, it was too hot. I remember one afternoon that we went walking up to Roppongi Hills and that seemed like so far away (it only takes me 15 minutes now). Yep, we've come a long way.

It's also been over a year that I am not working, as in "not working in an office". Although I am a little bit more organised today, have a cleaning lady that comes once a week and Bibu goes every morning to school, I still feel like this housewife thing is definitely more tiring and boring than the office stuff. Being with Bibu and getting to see him grow up before my eyes, not missing any step, is really the best part of it. The rest seems like a constant cycle of washing up/ loading and unloading washing machines and dishwashers/ picking up toys from the ground, vacuuming crumbs/ cooking/ shopping for food/ thinking about what to cook/ preparing lunch boxes, etc. Did I do all these things before, while I was working? It seems I did, and still went to work and had Bibu and had a social life. So what is it now that it feels like my day is filled with these chores? Poor time management, probably. Also, I spend loads of time with the PC. We might not have a TV set, but still we spend lots of time in front of a screen, wasting time most of the time.

But hey, a year ago, I had no clue about Japanese. Now I can manage to tell taxi-drivers where I want to go, where they need to turn and where to stop. I even understand when some smiley old grandma asks me how old Bibu is. I am yet to tackle small talk or a more elevated exchange with shop assistants than "thank you" and "I don't need a bag", but well, Super Sensei constantly praises my progress and I dont' think it's only because of my cookie bribery tactics (although they must help, hehe)

One year on, one year to go. Never in my wildest dreams thought I would be living in Japan, but I am. This time last year was "the end of the world as I knew it". The not working situation, the being far away from my Brussels friends and family and twice as far away and half a day ahead of my family in Argentina makes it a bit hard, but getting to see our Bibu grow up from wobbly walker to non-stop-trilingual boy is a privilege and joy not many people have. I clink my glass to myself and drink to another great year in the Land of the Rising Sun.

Japanese Weird Food: Calpis Water

2010-06-30T23:55:00.000-07:00

We've made it to the 30th post! I rock!

Or, only 30 posts in one year? Right..... this is rightfully pathetic now. This is beyond the highest laziness levels ever known to mankind. Man, I know I am not the most persevering of people, more like ADD queen. But this? Only 30 meagre posts so far??? And the two only comments I get are from family?

Pathetic....

Any other person with a sounder mind and any sense of decorum would by now declare the whole thing done with and stop already with this charade of a blog. Not being such a person, I'll carry on, if only because stubbornness is one of my main qualities.

Anyway -after clinking glass of appelshorle in manner of toast- enough with the self flagellation already.

Now that Tokyo summer is well and truly underway, what with the mugginess and ensuing attack of the mosquito hordes, it is only natural that one is constantly thirsty and in search of novel ways of upping the fluid intake. One of the things I love from Tokyo are the ever present vending machines. They are like a cave of Ali Baba, full of strange concoctions, hot and cold, waiting to be discovered. You have the humble mineral water and green tea sitting neatly alongside weird flavoured Fanta and my summer favourite: Calpis Water.

This drink exists since 1919, so it's quite an institution here. Wikipedia defines it as a "milky water drink, similar in taste as vanilla-flavoured yogurt or Yakult". It sounds quite about right, and surprisingly refreshing in these hot and humid days. There are many versions of this strange drink which I have tried, and my favourite remains the peach and mango flavoured one (not Calpis brand I think, but similar yogurty drink). I draw the line at the "soda" version, which is presumably with bubbles as yogurt + bubbles don't really mix that well, I think. But, overall, Calpis gets my points.

My only remark, if remarks are all I have left, is that the big version comes in a tall aluminium can instead of a transparent bottle, making it look like I am downing a beer before picking Bibu at daycare.

The dancing hippo

2010-06-01T06:11:00.000-07:00

Today, I finally managed to attend the "Introduction to ballet" class at my gym. Yes, I have a gym membership, who would have known!
I was a bit worried that the class was only in Japanese (well, I am in Japan, after all) but in the end, how hard is to immitate another person's movements, even if you dont' understand a figment of what they are saying?
So I arrived in the class, donning my brand new Uniqlo sports pants (which are very comfy indeed) and immediately felt out of place among all these ultra skinny Japanese ladies (of the younger and not that young variety) clad in cute ballet outfits, complete with little flowy ballet skirts and proper ballet slippers. I left my trainers by the door, wearing my ankle white socks as means of footwear and found a spot among all these bony ladies.
My God, the class was nice, but was definitely not an "Introduction". The instructor was a man, and he completely looked the part of the aspiring primma donna (primmo huommo?) of a ballet company, all eyes semi-closed and zero smile. He proceeded to explain the choreography (in Japanese, may I remind you) and then we would have to recreadte it to the music. Granted, the movements were of the easy variety (if you have ever done ballet and understand what a 'demi-plie' is) and the class only lasted for 30', but oh, God, I can asure you I did some heavy perspiration! Also, while all the Japanese ladies were delicate as flowers in their movements, I couldn't help but thinking of myself as the ballet-dancing hippo in a Disney movie.
Anyway, I loved it and will be back next week. Now, where can I get some of those cute ballet slippers?

Bribing Super Sensei with Belgian cookies

2010-04-21T23:18:00.000-07:00

Back in January, I started following Japanese lessons. I think, if I am destined to lazy about for a couple of years in Japan, at least I should have something to show for it. In addition, it would be so nice to actually be able to understand the labels of products in the supermarket, or at least manage to order a tall latte at Starbucks without the barista looking at you with pitying eyes while he/she shows you the menu with pictures.

So I started at a language centre not far from our place, just a few minutes' walk in fact. I signed for five hours a week, two hours and a half per lesson, mondays and wednesdays. I even had two classmates: Frenchy Girl and seasoned American Mater Familias, which was quite nice. Our teacher, or 'sensei' was a 50-something Japanese lady, stick thin, well travelled and who spoke French with a lot of conviction. Let's call her Super Sensei.

Some time in February, they informed us that the centre was closing but that they were going to continue on one-to-one lessons at our homes, if we so wished. As I still had a good 90 hours of courses paid by Mr M's company, I signed in and requested to continue with Super Sensei.

I am now doing two hours a week, in theory to have time to study properly in between lesson. The reality is that I end up doing all my week's worth or homework half an hour before Super Sensei arrives, which leaves the practicing bit totally out of the picture. I still hesitate with a few of the hiragana characters (is this a 'ra' or a 'sa'?) which I am supposed to know by heart by now and have still not managed to impress the girls at the Starbucks inside the Tsutaya bookshop. Super Sensei every now and then says 'you need to study this', which in my mind translates as "you lazy ass gaijin wife, learn this hiragana stuff once and for all!"

Truth is, I know I am not putting the hours, the study, in. I have never really studied much in my life. I mean studing for hours on end, preparing for an exam. Wait, that's not true. I did study a lot for History of Art in university, but only because I really loved the subject and the professor was a bit scary but fair. I had lots of admiration for this woman and couldn't contemplate not knowing anything she asked. Other than that, I guess I have a sort of Attention Deficit Disorder in the sense that I cannot concentrate on the same thing for a long time. My mind starts to wander, I need to take a walk or watch some TV....etc. I did quite well at school and at university, so this is just how I am: l-a-z-y....

Anyway, I am resolved to devote at least an hour every week actually studying Japanese at home (and not the hour before Super Sensei arrives home for the lesson). In the meantime, in order to keep Super Sensei happy, I have institutionalised coffee breaks with Belgian cookies mid-lesson. Last week I bought LU 'Petit Ecoliers" with dark chocolate top. She said it was a nice flavour combination. I say it has earned me some points but I need to impress her with my Hiragana skills next Monday or there will be no butter gallette that will save my ass.

And, at last, Spring is here! (well, sort of)

2010-04-14T18:34:00.000-07:00

Taking advantage of yet another rainy morning (really, is there any other kind?) here I am squeezing in a little post amidst my Tokyo Tour Guide duties (Mr M's cousin and her husband are visiting us this week).

So, anyway, what is it with all this rain? Isn't the rainy season supposed to be in June? Hello, this is April! For the last couple fo weeks it's been one day hot and warmy, one day rainy and horrid and very much Brusselesque weather.

And cold, quite cold for a month into Spring.

The cherry blossoms are almost all gone by now, courtesy of the chilling winds, so now the streets are paved with a layer of mouldy pale-pink petals that are definitely not that cute anymore. On the positive side, the cherry trees are all sprouting green, which is a very nice view and screams of "Spring! Spring!".

Tomorrow, Mr M is taking the day off and Bibu is skiping creche, so we will go somewhere as it's our guests' final day in the land of the rising sun. It's been really nice to have them here with us, albeit for a short time, only a week. My parents are next in the Detoured Casa. They'll arrive just after the Golden Week and they'll stay for a month. I am really looking forward to them being here with us, specially with Bibu, who will turn 2 while they are here. I think for my parents it will be such a big adventure, coming from the other side of the world, literally, after a 32plus hour trip. I don't think they ever dreamt of visiting Japan, but hey, did I ever imagine that one day I would be living in Tokyo, not working and living the lala expat life? Nope, either.

Right, I should go now and do some edifying house work. Ta-dah!

Something happened on the way to Spring

2010-04-05T22:29:00.000-07:00

I had planned to post about sakura blossom season here in Tokyo and all things "hanami", but a couple of things happened recently that kind of detoured that line of thought.

Last week, as I was idling my way through the dark forest of Facebook (is there any other way?) a former colleague of mine who was online, told me that one guy at the office had died very unexpectedly during a business trip to Moscow. The guy in question (the dead guy) was a 60-something, rather odd character, perpetually in a hurry (this may have had to do with his demise, courtesy of a heart attack) and perpetually stealing from everybody's fruit basket when he thought nobody was watching (we knew it was him). He had grown up kids, about my age or older, and a properly much younger Russian girlfriend (as you do). Anyway, the news about his death really struck me as this guy was the last person from the company I met before returning to Tokyo this January. At that time he was en route to Moscow and we all shared the same plane to Frankfurt. We chatted a bit in the airport about work, I introduced Mr M and Bibu to him, we said our hurried goodbyes when people started to board the plane, and that was it.

Now this guy is dead.

On another unrelated piece of news, one of the teachers at Bibu's daycare said her goodbyes last week, as she was returning to the Netherlands, where she is from, in order to follow some treatment for an unspecified illness, which could most likelly be depression, althought the "d" word was never mentioned. This lady had moved to Tokyo 15 years ago, to help raise her sister's daughter and had worked non-stop since then, taking little holidays and generally putting other people's needs before her, I think. So her mum came to Tokyo to take her back and it's not very clear when or whether she will be back.

These two unrelated events have been humming in my mind for a few days already. About this dead guy, I keep thinking, did he know, back in January, that he had only three months to live? How did he live those last three months? Did he live them in the midst of petty, everyday stuff, driving his car and checking emails and going to the supermarket and cleaning under his nails and clipping the hairs in this nostrils? And the teacher, does she want to be back in Europe? How is it to leave behind a life of 15 years and go back to a country that has not been your "home" for an eternity?

I am thinking about this as spring in Tokyo finally makes its way forward, sashaying its delicate frame through the falling petals of the cherry trees.

Marching days

2010-03-02T03:26:00.000-08:00

I know, I know, February is like the poor relative at the Month's Ball, but still, what happened to February, anyone?

On my side of things, February has been a sort of "blah" month. Nothing too exciting going on, other than planning what to do on other, more interesting months of the year. Being now officially in March, I can safely report that the difference with February is not yet that evident. We have hope, though.

As Bibu does not go to daycare on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I kind of hoped that today he would oblige and sleep a bit later, say until 7:30 or something. But no such luck, of course. At around 6:30 I could hear his bablings which I pretended to ignore until around 7. I say "pretended" as it's literally impossible for me to go back to sleep with a background of low-decibel whinning. Mr M has no such problem, I am sure he could sleep next to a functioning pneumatic driller.

Anyway, early start and Bibu was ready to hit the "páque" as soon as breakfast was done. I diverted his attention for a while with some drawing and a Skype session with the abuelos and we finally left the appartment around 10.

The weather today was just plain awful, cold and grey (very much like at home in Brussels, I should note) so we just did a walk until Azabu Juban for some groceries' shopping and then a quick stop at the Starbucks in the big Tsutaya bookshop in Roppongi Hills. As usual, the Tsutaya was populated mostly with "wives who don't work and whose kids are at school for a few good hours" variety. Give or take a couple of baby-ed expats, and a couple of men perusing the "Runners Weekly" or whatever, it is was pretty much a ladies joint.

Bibu behaved quite well -I suppose the fleeting presence of a cranberry scone had something to do with it- an then we were off to the playground nearby. We didn't stay long as it was indeed getting very chilly, but it was nice.

The afternoon nap went as usual, then it was milk and cookies for Bibu (he explicitly asked for the milk) and off for then another walk. Indeed I go out a lot with Bibu, but with no TV in the house and a very hiperactive kiddo, well, he needs his free air and so do I. I am happy that he really likes to walk, so hopefully his stroller days will be over in the next few months or so. Granted, it's tedious at times running after him in the street, checking that he doesn't walk in the pavement and by all means I still need to go out with the stroller at hand, as last week I decided to leave it in the appartment and ended up carrying 13 kg of descendant in my arms back home, much to the dislike of my back, ouch!

Mr M is again entertaining his visiting colleagues tonight and leaves for Shangai tomorrow, for 3 days. In addition, I have arranged my Japanese catch-up lessson for Friday morning, meaning this week I will have classes every day that Bibu is at the creche so no free morning. Not ideal, but I didn't have much of a choice, seeing as the course finishes in three weeks and that I am going to miss two classes.

So, anyway, this is what my typical days look like lately. definitely looking forward to warmer weathers.

Challenging peanuts or the joys and pits of raising small kids

2010-02-01T19:57:00.000-08:00

A couple of bloggers I follow have recently written about the struggle it is sometimes to cope with their toddlers. The subject definitely rings home, with Bibu being 20 months and fast approaching the "terrible two's" as they call them.

Actually, today is a very appropiate day to touch this topic as a few minutes ago I put Bibu on the corner for hitting poor mama on purpose after head-butting mama by accident. The accidental head-butting (more a "teeth-butting" as he left the inprint of his front teeth in my cheekbone) I can take. The taking a plastic fan, the ones they give you everywhere in the Tokyo summertime to fan yourself while enduring 31 degrees and more humidity than the Amazonian Forest, and hitting me deliberately with it, that I could not take, and off we was sent to the "time-out corner". It was the culmination of a difficult morning, him being a bit tired, I guess, and complaining about everything, and me feeling my patience run thinner and thinner by the second. Bibu stayed put in the corner and after a couple of minutes I went to explain how it was always baaad to hit someone and that he had to say sorry mum, pat-pat in the back, big hug and kiss and all forgotten.

By all means, up to now I have to say that Bibu is indeed a very sweet little boy whose tantrums are quite short lived and low on the annoyance factor. He knows when he has done something wrong and usually lets go of a fixed (bad) idea after a couple of minutes. I've experience first hand some very horrible tantrums by some fellow little friends of Bibu and it definitely makes me appreciate his good temper even more. Of course, that may all change in a few months, even a few weeks, but for now, all is good most of the time.

We all know that bad behaviour is normal part and parcel of growing up and that toddlers are learning their boundaries constantly and that they need us to teach them what's wrong and what's right and why. It's part of parenthood and a fact of life. But indeed at times it can get frustrating when you say something calmly for the 646478946513th time and no result, or when you are trying to manage a tantrum in the middle of the supermarket when you have not slept good, you are dressed in baby stained clothes, your grey hair roots are showing and you have not make up on and look like Morticia Adams. You know it's a small thing in THE BIG SCOPE OF THINGS and that THIS TOO SHALL PASS, but it's not nice and can seem at times like an unsurmontable mountain.

Personally, in these few months since we moved to Tokyo and I started my two-year full time mum status thing, I've realised that being the whole day with your kids is much harder work than going to the office every day. I am not saying it's not nice, not at all. I love the fact I get to spend these couple of years so close to Bibu and being there for him to see him grow and help him grow. But it is much, much harder than I thought.

In an office job, you know when your working day begins and when it ends. You know that every now and then during the day you can take a break and have a cup of coffee and a chat with your colleagues and have lunch in peace. With Bibu, I know I usually have a couple of hours in the afternoon when he's having his nap and another couple of hours at night once he's gonne to bed. The rest of the day is arranged around him. Eating is something you do at the speed of lightning, almost choking on your food while trying to avoid pumpking puree to become a permanent fixture of the carpet.

There is also the endless cooking -and planning of cooking and making sure you have the ingredients you need for all the cooking-, and a bit of house cleaning on the side and your days go very, very fast indeed.

On the other hand, I dont' need to rush from the office to the nursery every afternoon on time to pick Bibu up, as was the case in Brussels. I dont' feel guilty of leaving him the whole day at daycare and only enjoying him for a meagre couple of hours every day. Now I am there myself to educate him, without having a nanny do it for me....etc.

I think what it all boils down to is that there is no perfect situation and it's a case of "the grass is greener on the neighbours' garden". If you work, you daydream of not working anymore and be the whole day at home with your kid, if you do, there are days when office life seems like heaven.

I think there are no 'perfect' mums and 'perfect' kids, as there are no "perfect" jobs, and that there are periods when things are a bit more challenging than others.

I can be quite a control freak and feel bad when I feel things are out of control, the house is a mess, Bibu is behaving badly and I am super tired. On those moments I try to stay "zen", get on with it and try to remember that, in the big picture, these challenging moments are just peanuts.

It's a cold, cold winterrrr

2010-02-01T05:32:00.000-08:00

We are in FEBRUARY already, darling! February!!! And it's COLD! Cold, cold, cold.

Mr M left yesterday for Shangai and he'll return on Friday.

The heating is on (a toasty 23 degrees) but my hands are semi frozen still.

I think tonight I'll sleep with my granny wooly socks on.

PS: brrr......!

Tokyo with toddlers: Tokyo's Metropolitan Children Hall

2010-01-27T20:52:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since my last children-related post, so here you go:

Yesterday there was no school at Bibu's daycare, so along with two other mums from his group, we headed to the Children's Castle in near Omotesando. We arrived and to our surprise the place only opens at 12:30 on weekdays, which is kind of odd for a kids place. In toddlerdom, middday equals lunch followed by long afternoon nap (also known as LAN), so waiting until the place opened was not really a very inviting option.

We asked the nice ladies at the counter where else we could go that would be open at 10:30 and they gave us a flyer of the "Tokyo Metropolitan Children's Hall" which was about 10 minutes' walk in nearby Shibuya (same street as the Tower Records shop)

So there we headed and I have to say it was a nice surprise. It's basically a 5 floor building completely devoted to Tokyoite kids (and their stressed parents) and it's completely free of charge. We headed to the toddlers free-play area, where there is a large wooden structure with slides and a low hanging bridge and plenty of toys for small girls and boys. The area was heavily staffed with minders who kept things tidy and did even speak a little English. Seeing as our brood were enjoying themselves so much at the toddler room, we didn't visit the other floors, but there is also a large library, a rooftop playground which opens during the summer months, and several arts and science areas.

Being a weekday, there was some people but not at all crowded, which was nice. I imagine on weekends it must be a bit more 'cosy', so to speak. The only minor drawback was that there was no cafeteria, only a pic-nic area where you can eat your bento and some vending machines.

All in all, a great morning out. Bibu and his pals were completely exhausted after all the playing and running around and the LAN went like a dream. :-)

A mighty decade

2009-12-30T13:14:00.000-08:00

It's really incredible how it's almost 10 years after the millenium happened. Not only is a new year beginning, but a new decade. So a little decade-examining reflection is de rigueur. It has definitely been an important decade for me.

Year 2000 started with a bittersweet taste. After being unemployed for 9 months or so, a few days before the end of 1999 I started to work at a small French telecoms company's office in Buenos Aires. A week before that, my beloved great-aunt died of cancer and left a big hole in my heart. I still miss her and will do so til the end of my life.

Later in 2000 I moved for the first time on my own and I travelled a lot for work. I went to Rio, NY, Miami and Marseille, enjoying the sweet times of the telecom industry. I also reconnected with lost friends from high school.

In December 2001, a big economic and financial crisis hit Argentina and all hell broke loose. People's bank accounts were frozen and most people lost a lot of their savings. I didn't have much to lose, so my finances didn't suffer much. But I did lost the will to live in a country that would allow such things. A country that would smash your efforts and suffocate your dreams. I decided it was time to do something about it and my long-baked dream of living abroad started to become more tangible.

The ensuing crisis that hit the telecom industry speeded things along and, after desisting to move to Mexico to keep my job, in April 2002 I got my severance package and used the money to make my exit to Europe, where I landed in August 2002. I chose Antwerp, Belgium, as a starting point, because my good friend C. lived there and offered to live with her while I looked for a job. I met Mr M on the same day I landed in Belgium (although we only started dating a few months later) A few weeks later I landed a part-time job at a banking institution. On my free time I followed French and Nederlands courses and walked through Antwerp a lot. My friend C. moved out to live with her then-boyfriend (now husband) and I took over the lease of her appartment, a lovely attic in the heart of Antwerp.

I moved in with Mr M in Brussels in 2003, just in time to start a new job near the Zaventem airport. In 2004 we bought our lovely appartment and started working on home renovations, which we realised over the years: first the garden and a deck terrace, then de kitchen, then an extension, lately a brand new bathroom....

In 2005 we started trying for a baby and in May 2008 Bibu finally showed up, feeling our lives with a lot of new adventures. In June 2007 we got married in Brussels and in May last year we started our latest adventure: a couple of years living the expat life in Tokyo.

So, it's ten years from the 'millenium bug' thing and I've come a long way, baby.

Wonder what this new decade will bring. Adventure beckons!

Around the world in 80 blogs: TOKYO

2009-12-13T03:28:00.000-08:00

Lovely everydaystranger has challenged her readers to write about the cities we all live in on the same day, thus provoking a sort of virtual mega travel bonanza. Today is the D day and, being a loyal reader to her blog for about three years now, here I am, reporting from the land of the rising sun which got lost in translation.

I have been living in Tokyo for just over five months. Hubby (Mr M), Bibu (my 18 month son) and myself moved here last June courtesy of Mr M's job, on a two-year international assignment. Home is Brussels, Belgium, where Mr M is from. I am from far-far away in the ass of the world, also known as Buenos Aires, Argentina, but have been living in Belgium for the last seven years.

Anyway, in these five months I've come to love this completely mesmerising city. When I first arrived I was expecting it all to look very futuristic and crazy and noisy with lots of neon and people posing for photos doing the "v" of victory. Well, Tokyo is that but so much more. Sure, you have the super crowded areas and Shinjuku station at 6pm will never be a favourite place. But it is also the cleanest city in the world, where you can buy your groceries 24hs/7 at the "conbini" (convenience stores), get hot coffee or tea from vending machines in the street and get a taxi with a white-globed chauffeur just for you.

Tokyo can also be a suprisingly quiet city. Strolling around Daikanyama or Shirokanedai on a lazy Saturday afternoon, you wonder where all the people is gone (to Shinjuku, probably) It's also a very easy city to cycle around. OK, easy in terms of traffic, but not so easy in the sense that Tokyo is a very hilly place. Great workout for the legs, though!

The language is an issue, of course. My first trips to the supermarket where a sort of lottery where I would shop by deduction and by imaginative label drawing interpretation. I can only say 'good morning/ afternoon" and "thank you" so instead I do a lot of idiot smiling, but well, in January I'll start following lessons, so at least I can expand a bit my repertoire.

In short, Tokyo has definitely surpassed my expectations. In these few months I've become used to living here. Quality of life is very good and the weather is really nice. Only major drawback are indeed the earthquakes, which are very much a part of everyday life. So far we've experienced a couple of minor ones, the ones you feel like you live over a busy train station. They lasted for about 20 seconds, but they left quite an impression on me. People dont' seem to be much bothered by them, but for me, they are definitely NOT on my list of "Tokyo's Favourite Things".

Anyway, must go now, got a trillion things to do this week, as on Friday we're heading to Brussels for three weeks, for the Xmas holidays. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing our friends and the Belgian family. Hope you enjoyed this little tour around Tokyo.

Hitting the five month mark

2009-12-09T16:29:00.000-08:00

So we've been officially in Tokyo for five months now. I know, it's not so much, just over half a pregnancy, almost the trial period for a new job, but longer than most holidays. It seems both a long time and only a quarter of our scheduled time here.

Most expats would tell you that "the first six months are the hardest" and I will not be original on this and will completely agree. It's not just the getting settled, finding your way around the neighbourhood, meeting some new people, finding a school for your kids, figuring out the public transport system, dealing with a language you have absolutely no clue about.... It's that and much more. Namely a change of lifestyle so big that it gets a long time to get used to.

For me, besides all these things, it was mainly the switch between being a working person and being a full time stay at home mum and housewife. It's hard work, harder than I thought. Bibu goes three mornings a week to daycare and that's when I get to choose how I spend my time. The rest, is really not for me to decide. I know that running after a one-and-a-half dynamic kid is supposed to be like this. But it's tough. Add to that the wish to keep the apartment at least superficially clean and tidy and have food available to eat at the right times and that is a whole lot of work.

I am naturally very undisciplined and my attention span is very short. I am doing one thing and leave it unfinished to start doing something else that caught my eye and which I feel must be done NOW. Put Bibu in the picture and it's not surprise at the end of the day I feel like a mad chicken with its head half chopped off.

Eeuww.... what a metaphore ....

Anyway, in five months we have achieved a lot also, namely:

- Bibu (and us) love his daycare. It was recommended to me by our neighbours who have a kid about Bibu's age. I'm really-really happy with it.

- Finally managed to apply for Japanese lessons. I start in January right after we're back from BXLs.

- We've done quite a lot of sightseeing in and around Tokyo. I feel I know my way around the city and I definitely like it.

- I'm biking everywhere. I am not a sports person, so committing to weekly swimming sessions was a short lived gig. Biking, however is something I would happily do every day. I live the feeling and the fact you arrive fast everywhere.

- Finally dared to leave Bibu with a babysitter for a couple of hours while Mr M and I went to have a lovely dinner. It all went well and the lady is super sweet. Should do that again, it was worth every Yen.

- Went once to Argentina with Bibu (all 32 hours worth of trip) and we both survived. Seeing my family so happy to see Bibu (and myself) made all the sleep deprivation worth.

- Made a few acquaintances, which is no mean feat. I still miss my friends from my 'normal life' in Belgium, but I will see them in a few days. In any case, it's nice to meet new people.

- Bibu's best friends are a Japanese little boy and a Brazilian-Dutch little boy from daycare. Their mums are also very cool. We've been to an aquarium together with the kids and it was a very fun day. Bibu loves to hold onto a framed photo of the three we took there.

And on that note, and seeing that it is time for Bibu to wake up from his morning nap, I leave you for now. I promise I'll be writing a bit more often in the future (Bibu allowing) See ya!

My love of magazines

2009-11-16T19:05:00.000-08:00

Now, on a totally unrelated post (I am queen of the tangent, you have been warned), last weekend I started what I would call a 'magazine purge' -that is, getting rid of a number of old issues of my beloved titles-, and I realised I might have a problem.

Hello, my name is Detoured and I am addicted to magazines.

In the meagre 5 months that I have been living here, I've amassed the grand quantity of 25 magazines. All the 'Reds', 'Livingetc' and 'EasyLiving' from August onwards, a couple of 'Real Homes', 'Delicious' and 'inStyle' plus 10 copies of a variety of Japanese glossies which of course I cannot read, but really, who cares? They're so beautiful.

And here I think this is where the problem lies. Besides actually reading said magazines, although 'flicking' is more appropriate in most cases, I put my hand in my heart and admit that in the end, I buy them just because they are beautiful. The main culprit is photography, I think. Gorgeous shoots populate these magazines. Lovely colours, stylish styling, if that doesn't sound too bad. They feature beautiful clothes and make up and furniture and dishes, but what I like the most is the way they are photographed. Yes, I do read some of the articles but they are not the reason I buy the magazines, at least not the main reason.

I've studied communications in university and have always worked in communication-related things, so the notion that an image attracts our attention faster is not new to me. In my case, I have to say that it is not just any image. It has to inspire (and transpire) beauty. Well, my concept of beauty at least.

I often say to Mr M, as he humours me whenever he sees yet another pile of glossies that have somehow made their way into our home, that magazines are my therapy. Some people go to shrinks, I buy glossies. They give me a high and take me to pretty-land. There are few things that are more appealing to me than sitting down with some coffee or tea and a pile of mags to flick around while wrapped in a duvet with some soft music in the background. Each lovely photo and amorously laid out page is pure happiness. Each shiny page complete and beautiful fantasy.

My love of magazines goes back to prehistoric times, when I used to buy comic strips when I was too young to even be able to read them. But it's only in recent years, that this addiction has really blossomed. So much so that I find it very hard to actually bring myself to throw away some when the time comes to make space for new ones. These 'purges' are painful, I tell you.

This last purge I mentioned earlier ended up with maybe five issues sent to magazine heaven and about 10 used to raise the head of Bibu's cot, so his snotty nose (no metaphor here) can drain better during the night. So a bit of recycling, really.

And on that note....

A bicycle and a girl in Tokyo

2009-11-03T21:55:00.000-08:00

Very much in the spirit of starting to do some physical activity to get rid of 'le tummy', this morning I went for a ride. I went up to Meguro station, which is about 15' from our place (I know, but you have to start small, underpromise and overdeliver, yada-yada-yada) So I went into the Atré and did a 'tour de reconaissance' with a stop or two along the way (UNIQLO for socks and a couple of their new high tech t-shirts) and the supermarket for tonight's dinner.

Parking did prove to be a bit tricky. By sheer chance I arrived a few minutues before 10am, which is when the store opens. This meant that the ridiculously small bicycle parking lot - we're talking 10 bikes max- was completely empty. So no problem there. When I left, the story was rather different and although I managed to take out my bike, I also managed to knock down one of the neighbouring ones. They were in one of these bike rack things which are supposed to keep them erect but still. I tried to put this other bike back upright but no chance, if you dont' bother to put it correctly into the slot, then sorry. So I left it like that (bad-bad expat wife! he-he)

In Tokyo most bike-riders ride on the footpath. This is is somewhat tricky as in some places said footpaths are very narrow. This means there is no absent-minded riding in Tokyo. Your eyes need to be on the ball all the time. Riding on the street is not something you see a lot, only the kamikaze couriers do it. Anyway, all this paying attention to the traffic and pedestrians will surely be handy for when I start practising again for my drivin license in BXL.

So, all in all, the first biking outing was a success. More to come.

PS, Read this today. I think the guy is a character and as I dont' live in London cannot really say if he's any good as Mayor. But you gotta love a guy who insists on cycling to work just to prove a point.

And another month almost flew by in total silence

2009-09-16T04:23:00.000-07:00

Blog silence, that is. My God, I am really crap at this blogging thing. It's seems I've blincked and a month has gone by and NADA from my side. It's not that I have nothing to write about. In fact, quite the contrary, I have too much to blog about in this wonderful land of far-far away, but I just cannot seem to achieve much of the old "putting it on paper" or, in this case, on the keyboard.

Anyway, September is a big month as in 1) is the bday of Mr M; 2) is the bday of my Dad and my brother; 3) I am going with Bibu to good old Argentina (also known as the 'antipodes' around here) for a couple of weeks. I am very much looking forward to spending some time with my family and my antipodean friends. I am not looking forward too much on the 32 hour (yes, you read correctly, 32 hour) trip to get there. Oh, and did I mention that it will be just me and Bibu travelling? Mr M will stay and save his holidays for our trip back home to BXL at the end of the year (also, the flight ticket? Not very cheap)

So in a week's time, Bibu and I will be travelling to Buenos Aires via London (I have some miles in BA and with this trip they will go 'o-hoooo! Buba-buba-buba!!!') Taking into account that Bibu has inherited Mr M's restlessness (in Argentina, we say people like him 'have an ant in their ass') and my stubbornness (is that a word?) I am foreseeing a veeery pleaseant and quiet trip.......hehehe...........

To palliate the 7 hours we have to spend at Heathrow, I've booked ourselves into the Yotel, which is a sort of pod hotel where you can spend from 4 hours to a whole night. We're arriving into Terminal 5 and the pod is on T4, so hopefully we'll get there without much ado.

So, where was I? Ah, yes, I entitled this post in reference to how I dont' write enough in this blog and now I am going through a tangent again. Aw, well, that's me. Lady Tangent (doesn't sound as cool as Lady Ga-Ga, but hey, give it time)

And on that note....

Earthquakes move you

2009-08-20T21:33:00.000-07:00

It's almost been a month since my last post and that makes me think that a) this business of being a full time mum and expat parasite is not all that relaxed and time-freeing as I thought and b) I have been trying to get my voice back -and listen to it- in the midst of a lot of noise.

Plus, I am a lazy ass.

Anyway, sometimes in Japan you don't even have to move your ass as per your own will. An earthquake will do it for you, ha! The occurrence of earthquakes in Japan was not high on the wish list of "those Japan things I know". Almost two months (and three earthquakes later) I've come to see that they are an almost daily feature and part of everyday life here.

A few days ago I felt my third earthquake in the space of two weeks. This one had its epicentre in Chiba, which is sort of a suburb of Tokyo (as in quite close to Tokyo) It was a 4 in the Richter scale, and nothing really 'moved', but the feeling is always the same: it is as if you are living over a very busy subway station. Bibu was napping in his room and didn't feel a thing.

The strongest so far (touching wood as I type this) was the first one, during which I think I was this close to having a panic attack. On that occasion, Mr M, Bibu and I all went under the table, as it is recommended over here and waited for the shock to pass, which could have been between 20 to 30 seconds, but which lasted an eternity for us.

At that moment we realised how ill prepared we were for the event of, you know, ehem, a real big earthquake and the possibility of having to evacuate the building or something. We have in the apartment a box with water and food rations and a strange device to use in the event of having to get out of the apartment via a window (as if) It's like a pole with a steel rope and a thing to attach it to oneself. Mind you, if this pole thing is ever necessary I don't think I would be in the sort of mental state to correctly use this thing, but never mind (touching more wood here)

The strangest thing though, is that nobody here paid much importance to that first earthquake. I mean, the local newspapers barely mentioned it and Mr M told me nobody spoke much about it in the office. For me, I think I aged 20 years in 20 seconds. Since then, every now and then I feel certain tremors and I don't know if I am particularly sensitive or if I am imagining things. Earthquakes are indeed a strange thing.

Anyway, our blatant "earthquake unpreparedness" made me start on my new quest, which is getting some kit ready for an eventual evacuation. Among the recommended stuff are (besides water and food) a flashlight, can opener, plastic sheet, wet wipes, wireless radio, first aid kit and essential documentation. In short, everything you would need to live without a house for a couple of days. I have now placed a backpack next to the apartment door and ready to go and every now and then add a new survival element to the list. Let's hope we never have to use it.

One month on

2009-08-04T21:51:00.000-07:00

Exactly one month ago, Mr M's parents drove me and Bibu to Zaventem airport, pushed the trolley carrying our two huge, slightly overweight suitcases, had coffee with us on the airport café, and waved goodbye to us as we made our way past security.

One month on and I now know my way around the neighbourhood, where the supermarkets are, where the metro station is. I know the shortest way to Roppongi Hills and that if you need toiletries you have to buy them in the drugstores. I have found a good replacement formula for Bibu and have gone once to the movies (Harry Potter and the Half-blood prince, cince you ask). We have now two brand new bicycles, a rice cooker, an iron and an iron table, a vacuum cleaner, an electric piano and an expresso machine. Our furniture is all courtesy of IKEA and we rather like it. I am already thinking were we will put it once we come back to Brussels.

We have gone to brunch once with our nice neighbours from the 3rd floor and Bibu and their son have had a "playdate" together. I have visited 4 pre-schools and Bibu has started today with part-time daycare, with much success. Mr M has started his Japanese lessons at the office and he's really enjoying it.

We have gone to Kamakura, Yokohama and walked across the Shinjuku-gyoen and Yoyogi park. WE already have our residence cards and our re-entry passes. I have already collected 4 "pokemons" or charms from vending machines and I have to watch it or it wil become a full blown addiction, hehe.

I have learnt how to make sauce Teriyaki from scratch and am still struggling with the chopsticks. I keep saying "arigato" to anyone and for anything and have no clue what they're saying to me when I pay at the till.

One month on and the weather is still very hot and humid, much like the Argentinean summers.

One month on, I miss the life in Brussels, but I like it here too, specially now that I will have some time for me again. I dont' miss working (i.e. being tied to a schedule) but I miss the buzz and wonder what my colleagues are up to.

One month on, I would say quite a lot has happened to us. And this is just the beggining.

Japanese weird food: green cake

2009-07-27T21:22:00.000-07:00

It's green, it's sweet and it comes from my most beloved shop in Japan: MUJI. Introducing: the spinach cake!

Once you get past the green colour, it actually tastes really good. Great to go along your (green) tea. Ñam!

Veredict: approved

Hole in the ground toilet: this is not TOTO!

2009-07-23T05:01:00.000-07:00

One of the things that strickes foreigners who first visit Japan, are the TOTO toilets, present in most public restrooms and hotels. The TOTOS are sort of computerised toilets with integrated bidet and bottom "massage" functions. We have three of those at home (TOTOs, not bottoms, but now that I think of it, we are three so we even have three of those, too). Anyway, will talk about the TOTOs at large on some other entry, not today.

Today is about what they call here "Japanese traditional toilets", a.k.a hole in the ground toilet. They are still present in most public parks and other oldish public toilets. In Argentina we used to call these "French toilets" and, I've found out that the French call them "Turkish toilets".

At least the Japanese own up to their holes in the ground with pride, ha!

Baby parafernalia in Tokyo, part 1

2009-07-17T05:29:00.000-07:00

When you have kids, you suddenly become all too familiar with the pros and cons of the most unfathomable products. Moving from Brussels to Tokyo, the first things I tried to source was not frites or moules, not even beer. No, Sir, priority number one is to find diapers of the "that will work fine yet not set us back a fortune" kind.

At home (Brussels is and will be what I call "home" in this blog, by the way, just so that you, erm, know it) Bibu dons the P ones (don't make me say the brand, please!) Yes, they are not the cheapest, but they thoroughly pass the "piss at midnight" test, which the cheapos dont'. Daytime is another story, I have been using some private label ones and they work just great.

Anyway, now that we've moved to Tokyo, the quest was on to try to find the Japanese version of the P ones and find a local brand cheapo one for daytime. The first few days, we bought the P ones, which typicaly will set you back some 1,650 Yen (about 12.5 EUR) for a pack of 38 units (our Bibu weights now about 12 kilos) But, dear reader, in one of my frequent excursions around the 'hood, I've hit the jackpot: local brand pack of 40 for (drums please) 880 Yen!!! (about 6.6 EUR) Isn't that a great deal or what! They look something like this:

Yes, I know, the things that make me feel like an accomplished person these days. But anyway, isn't that a great deal or whatttt??? They have survived the daytime "piss and poo" rituals and will be tested on the "piss at midnight" test soon, when the P branded ones run out. Will report on that.

Now, on to formula. No, not talking about the formula for happiness or richness, just baby formula. You know, fake milk for babies. Bibu is now just under 14 months and has two fake milk drinks a day. I brought with me his favoured N brand from Switzerland (again, do not make me say the brand) but that is almost finished. So after running a quick internet research, I bought a Japanese brand which is apparently favoured by Western babies:

Well, I obviously didn't check the price on the shelf, as this cutie is actually 2,635 Yen (almost 20 EUR) bought in the same shop as the great deal diapers.

I can only say that I see Bibu drinking proper normal cow's milk in the very very short term..... That or the good deal with the diapers will compensate the outrageous price tag of the formula.

Bibu the chick magnet (sort of)

2009-07-13T21:31:00.000-07:00

You know the famous popular belief that babies and small children attract women in the street? Well, with Bibu it's taking a twist to the bizarre.

Yesterday afternoon, I decided to check out the Roppongi Hills complex, which is relatively close to our place. We left and already I was missing the appartments air conditioning. My God it's boiling hot in here! Anyway, we arrived in said Roppongi Hills place, all vey nice and modern but a tad complicated to get around with a stroller and an increasingly impatient 1 year old. Seeing that things would quickly turn nasty if I didn't release Bibu from the stroller at least for a little while to let him stretch his legs, we made our way through the maze of elevators and semi-mezzanine floors to the "Mori Park" next to the Asahi TV station building.

Bibu was walking around in the park, wearing his hideous "combat sandals" (he apparently threw one of his nice sandals in the street the other day and we only found out the following day) when two women holding small ugly dogs à la Paris Hilton came by walking in the opposite direction. Bibu instantly fixed his stare on the chihuahuas and that's when I heard it: "Ah, such a cute baby"!!! This said with what I can only describe as a man's voice. So, indeed, there it was Mr Transexual walking his chihuahua, aptly named "Paris". We had the typical nice exchange with Bibu hesitating to pet the dog's head or not and Mr T reassuring us that "Paris" wouldn't hurt a bug. Bibu remained scotched to the spot and after a bit more hesitation and nervous smiles (mine) and much use of expressions such as "cute", "nice boy", etc (Mr T's) we all continued our ways through the park.

A few minutes later, now resolutely on the way back home after Bibu entered full blown metldown, I decided to take a quick tour around a book & CD shop in one of the corners, to check the prices of the imported magazines. On the way out, Mr T and friend (who was an actual woman, I presume) were sipping a latte or sililar Starbuckean concoction and of course they spotted us immediately and screamed "How cute, you're following uuuussssss!" to the top of their lungs.

Yep, that Bibu is a chick magnet I say! :-)

Childcare in Tokyo not easy to find

2009-07-12T17:05:00.000-07:00

So, yesterday night spent a couple of hours searching the internet for childcare options near our place. Results were almost nil. Managed to book a free trial at Gymboree in Moto Azabu, which is a sort of organised playgroup thing. I have no clue how expensive it is, but I figure I'll find that out on Wednesday when Bibu and I go there.

Otherwise, there is very little in offer and almost nothing for kids younger than 2 years old. I've looked so far into international schools, which are mostly in English and some French schools, but with not a lot of luck.

Ah, I think it will be some time before Bibu can go back to his creche days! Anyway, for the moment it will be lots of visits to the park and walks around the city.

4 days in Tokyo

2009-07-08T17:34:00.000-07:00

I've now been living in Tokyo for the grand total of 4 days, hurra!

OK, OK, that's not a lot, but still, Bibu and I have been up to a spot or two of shopping for house items and some more adventurous stuff.

Shopping wise, I've done some food shopping and that is for the moment a bit of an adventure. Sure, you can find pretty much all the typical foodstuffs for Western cooking. Known vegetables and cooking oil, even bought some parmesan. The trick lies in understanding a minimum of Japanese and Chinese characters to decipher the labels of the local stuff. There are easily 30 different kinds of sauces in each supermarket I've found. For example, I want to buy some miso paste for making miso soup, but didn't know where to start.

Another thing I've noticed is the price difference between the shops. The closest supermarket to our house is the well-known National Azabu. It stocks all sorts of imported food, from cereals to camembert "President". Prices are completely over the top, something like 8 EUR for a pack of butter (whatevah). On the other side of the spectrum is the "Lawson 100" which sells most of its goods for 100 Yen (about 1 EUR) The quality is very good but to buy in this one you need to understand a bit the language to read the labels, otherwise shopping turns into a "wheel of fortune" experience: "will this taste as soya sauce or super spicy oyster sauce?"

Somewhere in between is the "Daimaru Peackock" near Roppongi Hills, which has a lot of variety and decent prices. For the moment I've bought standard Western stuff, mostly meat, chicken, vegetables and fruit and I am playing it safe.

Talking about fruits, for some reason peaches are a bit of a luxury here. In some places they charge about 1,000 Yen (about 10 EUR) for 4! They look nice and juicy and all, but it seems a bit excessive. Mr M managed to buy 4 for 500 Yens on the way back home from his office. They were presented in cosy "peach sweaters" in lack of a better word. I dont' think the Japanese worry much about using lots of unnecessary plastic packaging.

Today I'll try to find some baby stuff for Bibu and some bits an pieces for the house, like proper coffee mugs and not the miniature ones we've been drinking from lately. Wish me luck!

The angle is very important

2009-07-07T05:52:00.000-07:00

So, I am now in Tokyo since yesterday. The trip was long, difficult and tring, just like I expected it. Bibu had trouble staying calm in the limited space that a plane seat offers, to put it mildly. There were mean looks from other fellow passengers, oh yes. But well, we survived and we're here now to stay.

The first thing I did once in Narita airport was, quite understandably, run for the nearest disabled toilet, which allows to enter the cublicle with a stroller and all. This one was a combo disabled/ baby nappyi change station. It featured the trusty "TOTO" WC. Now, it is difficult to spot places in Tokyo with directions in English. Granted, the English is a bit dodgy, but this is such a gem that I cannot pass it by:

Closing a house

2009-07-04T13:15:00.000-07:00

I am now pretty much done with the suitcases. Ok, minus the small fact that one of them still weighs more than the allowed 20kg, which, let's be frank, it's a bit meagre. Those strict Lufthansa Germans!

Anyway, it's so odd thinking that tomorrow morning Bibu and I will leave this house and only be back in 6 months, for Christmas. The sheer reality of our move to Tokyo has finally hit. I'm gonna miss my Belgian life. Not that I am not looking forward to the Japanese chapter, but here I am a local and I have found my life here in good old Brussels. Tokyo is really a big adventure. It's a step towards the unknown and it goes beyond the fact that the language is different, the culture is diferent, they drive in the opposite side, etc. It even goes beyond the fact that for the next two years I'll be a housewife. As in "not working and not earning any money". Mmmm, that one bugs me but I know that I'll figure something out. I know I'll be pretty busy anyway with Bibu and getting to know the city, during the first few months.

But well, let's not put the cart before the horses, so to speak, and let's focus on the immediate next hurdle of this Japanese adventure: the trip. Yes, dear friends, tomorrow Bibu and I will be spending some 15 hours in and around planes. I guess travelling with a 13 month old will be lots of fun and hard-hard work. I am trying not to think too much on all the things that can go wrong, like delays, overflowing diapers, fellow passengers complaining about Bibu's crying/ food throwing/ farting, etc, but it is HARD.

I tend to always think the worst, that's me the pessimistic. I guess the only certain thing is that I'll find out tomorrow.

See you in Japan!

Our appartmet in Tokyo, not so empty anymore

2009-06-30T01:25:00.000-07:00

So, got news from the tenacious Mr M this morning. He's moved out of the hotel and is as of today officially living there. The guys from IKEA came to deliver the stuff he purchased last weekend, so the living looked like this:

He then proceeded to put together teh sofa (yes, it's yellow. We decided to go crazy in Japan)

And the bed (rather important if you want to sleep, no?)

So now we're fully functional. The basics are there! Mr M foresees an evening of IKEA fun, putting together the dining table and chairs.

Things I am going to miss from Brussels (part I)

2009-06-28T12:11:00.000-07:00

Ok, ok, it's not that we're leaving forever, just a couple of years, but still. In no particular order:

my friends, also known as the "Brussels Bunch" (I won't name them, but you know who you are)
the Aperos Urbains in the summer
the Place de Chatelain on Wednesdays
the Egmont park
the Tenbosch park
the Wolvendael park
the Fond' Roy park
HEMA (it's actually very hard to leave empty handed)
DILLE & KAMILLE (same as before, one of the cutest shops ever)
WATERSTONES (my monthly dosis of magazines and books)
DE GRIFFE (shoe heaven)
DOD (cheap and chic)
caffe lattes from the "Natural Caffé"
Saturday lunch at TEA & EAT and MAMY LOUISE
our "passegiatas" with Mr M through Ixelles while having an ice-cream
tram 23 (always empty and comfy)

to be continued.....

The countdown is ON!

2009-06-27T11:44:00.000-07:00

Just returned from saying goodbye to my parents in Zaventem. Althoug we'll be seeing each other in September for my Dad and brother's birthdays, it is still an uneasy moment, all those "see you later, call when you arrive home, etc". I have been living in Belgium for almost 7 years now, and that amounts to a fair share of airport goodbyes, but it is still hard.

Anyway, with the papas departing, it means that the countdown to the big move to Tokyo is ON. Definitely on. In little more than a week, life will chage big time. It will definitely be a big adventure and I am completely looking forward to it!

In the meantime, this next week will be my week to say goodbye to Brussels. There'll be friends coming over for dinner on Monday, dinner with the parents in law on Wednesday and I am still debating whether to actually go to Werchter on Friday or just sell the tickets. I bought them ages ago when the whole Japan thing was a mere nugget to a shred of a thought and now I don't really feel like it anymore. Oh, well, only to see The Killers! It will be a sin not to go.

And tomorrow, in very un-typical Belgian fashion, most shops will be open because of the sales season. I am definitely going to have a glance, ha!

Suitcases

2009-06-20T12:57:00.000-07:00

So, it is happening. Mr M is packing his suitcase. He leaves tomorrow, first to Shangai -where he will stay for 4 days- and then to Tokyo. He will stay in a hotel for one week while he does a trip round to the nearest IKEA and buys all we need to set up our home in the land of the rising sun. Man, that's gonna be one hell of a lot of DIY. As he says, he'll "prepare the nest" for the family. I foresee the nest to be full of empty IKEA boxes, hehe....

Bibu and I will join Mr M in two weeks. I am so not looking forward to travelling for 15 hours with a one year old. It's going to be, erm, "interesting", I guess. Anyway, I'm blacking that thought out of my mind for the moment. One step at the time, ommmm.....

House is full these days, with my parents and my aunt and uncle from Spain visiting, so it's easy to block any thoughts other than what we're going to eat for lunch or whether we need to do yet another round of laundry. In a way, it helps. In a way, it's crazy, but I know the craziness has a deadline and in a couple of weeks it's going to be only the three of us for some time, so it's OK.

What's not so OK is that I am going to miss Mr M very very much these newt two weeks. And will miss him during the "interesting trip" with Bibu. Aw, we shall see.

It's alive!!!

2009-06-14T06:14:00.000-07:00

Or sort of. Anyway, The Mighty Detour exists and has seen the light. Not much to it yet, but promise that when life becomes a tinsy bit more chilled (surely not before Bibu and I depart to Tokyo following the tenacious Mr M) posts will flow like lava from Mount Doom.

Howevah, keep your eyes glued to this space. Who knows, you might get a little surprise!