It must be winter...

Because my butt is super sore, meaning that I had a day out on a snowboard! First run of the season and first run this side of the Pacific. Amazing that I hadn't forgotten too much-- I guess snowboarding is like riding a bike... but since I was never a very good rider to begin with, there is still much room for improvement. The first few runs went quite well, but then because it was quite warm today, the snow became slushy, I became more tired, and my butt became increasingly more and more sore. Yep, still have some major issues with the hip-throwing action on my inside turns...

I have really only snowboarded in Japan, so I found that since today I was doing something outside the Japanese context that I usually completely associate with Japan , I had to keep reminding myself that I was back in the U.S. and there was no hot spring awaiting me after a long day in the snow. :-( It also didn't help that for some odd reason I was surrounded by Asian people (odd because there are no Asian people who live around me!) and even some Japanese speakers. I literally thought I would hear Px's laugh or S' face... a few times I had even thought I spotted Fredo's red and blue ski jacket! The only thing that kept bringing me back to reality was the southern accents and American humor of the friends I went with.

Apart from that, I've been enjoying the two new little additions to my household! Wanted to upload pics but it is altogether impossible on my mother's dinosaur dial-up internet... Must wait for a faster connection!

FAME

Before blogging and uploading pictures (with my new camera!) of our Christmas craziness, a side note to all you Tokyo-ites or ex-Tokyo-ites. Between two of 20 courses of Christmas dinner, my sister and I were flipping through the TV programs and stopped at a Travel Channel special on Tokyo. Suddenly, Tsukiji Market appears, along with a familiar bald head being interviewed. I shouted, "IS THAT ANDY?!" And indeed it was our very own! As if Tokyo is not a small enough world in itself, my mom and sister even got to meet Andy from 6000 miles away!

What time is it?!

Surprise! I'm in Paris!! Silly, stupid giRL, I was getting off the plane from Tokyo yesterday for a 2 hour layover in Paris on my way to London, when the nice French girl I was chatting with on the flight asked me my flight plans. I replied that I was going to London, then back to Paris tomorrow on my way to New York. She gave me a confused smile and said, "Well then why not just stay in Paris? You don't need to connect to London if you are coming back here tomorrow!" Then a light bulb went off and began kicking myself in the ass. It just hadn't clicked.

Well, everything worked out in the end, which is great! My friend H is still here in Paris and had no problem with me crashing at his flat for the night. We walked around the city last night, which is very mild for this season (warmer than Tokyo even!), saw the Christmas tree at Notre Dame and a beautiful red sunset, ate a galette and some tarte rhubarbe. All before I crashed at 7:30pm!

En route to Nazareth today... Can't wait to be home again, even though I have absolutely no idea what time it is, anywhere!

The ups and downs of Malaysia

Thanks Keruko, I will stop being cryptic and kick myself in the butt to write all the gory details :-)

Backtracking, I will start with backpacking... S and I took a one-week trip to Malaysia for two very different types of vacations. After alighting from an 8-hour flight (only 2 days following the some 18 hour journey to Tokyo), we loaded into a 4-hour taxi ride to the small town of Jerantut, outside of our destination, the 130 million year old Taman Negara rain forest. By the time of our arrival, I had pretty much had it with traveling, but I still had another bus and 2-hour boat trip into the jungle to ensure my complete travel fatigue. Transport in Malaysia is a nightmare! For backpackers who have a flexible amount of time, it's not so bad and the price can't be beat... but for weary travelers on a one-week vacation, there is nothing worse than waiting for a bus that never comes.

The rain forest was a lush, green, gorgeous landscape filled with marvelous 130-million year old sounding birds, creepy crawly insects, and even some wild boar we scared on our trek. We met a nice South African couple and Japanese traveler and joined forces for a canopy walk-- 500 meters of baby steps among the treetops on a narrow, swinging walkway, the kind that more than anything just makes you want to pee. Hiking boots, sleeping mats and some more provisions later, S and I hightailed it to our overnight budget location-- a 5 ringgit ($1; 100 yen) night in a "hide" in the middle of the jungle. It was a hard, muddy trek, and the sight of our welcoming wooden hut in a small clearing in the brush was, well, funny. We spent the night huddled in our sleeping bags (I was cold and kept slyly encroaching into S' bag) among the symphony of jungle insects and birds, perhaps doing their own nighttime "thing," some bats, and and the beating rain on our tin roof through the overnight thunderstorm. The challenge didn't end there. We had to rush back to the headquarters for our boat, only discovering that we had been attacked on the ankles by bloodsucking leeches. Forget EngRish GiRL, you can call me "jungle Joce"-- after this experience I may have been raised by wolves, who knows?

Before destination #2, we took an overnight rest in Kuala Lumpur with a friend of S' in his sweet suite in the city. It's here that I realized my jewelry was no longer in my bag. Don't be shocked yet-- it gets worse, but not 'til later. Meanwhile, we spent the final 4 days relaxing in probably the nicest resort I will ever stay in my life: Pangkor Laut Resort. The resort is planted on a private island off the west coast frequented by the likes of Pavarotti, who invested heavily in its "#1 in the world" rated spa. After the jungle, I think we appreciated these 4 days of heaven all the more. With the rain forest behind us and the beach and sea in front of us, we shared our time here with monkeys, who challenged S to a duel which he cowardly but smartly refused, 2-meter long monitor lizards, and some beautiful peacocks, one of which spread his feathers and shook his tush for us Beyonce style. The private outdoor bath just topped it all off!

Bringing me back from my honeymoon reverie, I returned home and went to upload my pictures, and found another even more important missing item: my loyal sidekick on all adventures thus far: my most prized little camera given to me last year for my birthday by my dearest Tokyo friends, many of you whom are reading this sad tale now. First my jewelry ripped off, and then my camera full of photos of our trip. I still shake with anger just thinking about it.

Needless to say, this trip had some very high ups and some very low downs. But not to end on a negative note, at least S did take some photos with his camera, so not every memory is as lost as my silver. I hate to add that this probably means my blog will be text heavy for the next however long until I can afford a new camera. This year, I'm definitely wishing I still believed in Santa...

The Sound of Silence

Well, here I am. It's been a month of blank spaces which I haven't necessarily felt like filling in, especially on this computer which I look at too many hours per day already. So, thanks to the loyal readers who have checked my blog twice, even thrice daily and wondered, "Did she drown in the River Cam?" "Did she fall off her bike and break all her typing fingers?" Not so far from the truth, but no, I'm safe, dry, and all fingers are intact.

In fact, I'm in Tokyo. At my old office. At my old desk in front of my old noisy computer. How does it feel? Like home, strangely enough. I realize I have missed Jo-Lo in Tokyo... though for at least another 6 months I still have to keep her tucked away, hidden under 60 pages of a thesis and a half year of Engrish dining hall food.

It's hard to update a month's worth of happenings, including a first boating race (and first disqualification from a boating race); a hazy memory of a fall from my bike (and from grace all in the same night) ; a lovely visit from my sister and E to the cold, cold, bitter bloody freezing Engrand; planes, trains, buses and boats (to Tokyo, to Malaysia, the 130 million year old rain forest, our 5-star resort, and back again).

If you want any details, just ask, and I'll fill in some more, along with pics of course from the world travels. I will try to be a more diligent blogger now that I've given my share of the silent treatment. Welcome back and stay tuned...