Oh,you went to Uzbekistan?I� LOVE IT!!! I've been there twice!!!The correct name of the food is "plof"!!!It's an amazing dish!My parents cook it even here,too!

U should definitely invite them for Japanese food!I love your cousine!Especially suchi with salmon!!!Yiammy!!!!When I'm in Russia I eat it frequently!

Well,I'll be waiting [hope not too long] for pics;I'm even more anxious to see those fron your trip to Uzbekistan[set adrift on memory bliss]

Take care!

Kiss you,

Olya!

I always enjoy reading your entries about your life, Masako.� It is so interesting to know how you live and what you do.

Your entry about school rules in Japan made me remember something about Suki. (Her real name isn't Suki, but I only use that name here to protect her privacy. Her real name means "ocean" or "sea" in Japanese.)� When she came to us, she had beautiful reddish brown hair. Several weeks later she came to me and asked if I would help her dye it again.� See, it was naturally very black but she had dyed it before she left Japan and I didn't know! I thought she was born with that hair color.

She wanted to have her ears pierced while she was here, but she said she wasn't allowed to do that because of school. �Before she left to go back home she had me help her dye her hair back to her original black color, also because of school.

Thank you for sharing your life and your pictures with us, Masako.� I believe your friends would be very happy to come to your home, and be served Japanese food.� You should do it!

Hey!

I miss your entries with pics,hope to see some soon!

I also put moisture sheer tint with SPF 15;actually it's the only thing I put mostly since I can't say I'm really talented in the make-up part..

Kiss you,

Olya!

You question was not silly. It was a good question!

I have seen Betti Page. I have that DVD. It has been out here for a long time, if it is the same one. I always found Betti Page very interesting.

And I agree that the newer Lolita is MUCH easier to understand than the old one.

I would feel awake, too, if I put muscle rub on my forehead!! Is it the stuff that gets really cold and then really hot feeling? Kind of like SUPER minty feeling? I like to use muscle rub, when my back hurts. But my Husband hates the smell. LOL.

Have a great weekend Masako!

I love Lolita! That is one of my favorite books and movies. The director of the movie was Stanley Kubrick, and he is my favorite Director. The book was very controversial here, when it first came out.

Enjoy it!

We don't have anything like a public bath, here in the U.S. Not that I know of.

Except maybe at the gym, where people work out. They have showers there. But each one is private and no one has to watch you.

I imagine that job would be boring, really. Unless you were a total weirdo pervert. Most average people young or old, man or woman, would just be worried that the people would THINK you were looking at them. I would be like the young man, and I would read a book and stare down at my thigh!!

age doesnt matter. Im 20 years old, and 23 seems old to me. lol

Howeva im extreamly jealous of the fact that you live in japan

Was this an actual bath, or toilet room?

Either way, I would be so embarassed! I couldn't imagine either, but I suppose the toilet would be�a lot more embarassing.

I like the picture of the sky best; I always love looking at the sky and taking pictures of it.� I am always watching the sky for the return of Jesus. But truly all these pictures are beautiful to look at.

I finally got an email from my beloved Suki.� I had not heard from her in many many months.� But finally she emailed me and she is fine.� She no longer lives in Kyoto, but has graduated the university and now lives in Fukuoka.� I was so happy to hear from her, I was laughing and crying at the same time!

Hope you are well and happy, Masako.� Your entries are always delightful to read.�

I like the 2nd and the 4th the most.

They are all very good though!! =]

Your friend Carol�must lucky anough that she has found you again.

I'm your regular reader.

Thanks for your comment. You write in a nice and attractive way. I like your entry and It inspires me a lot.

no they were very inexpensive compared to other places they are sold (42% percent off!)

I got them at vitacost.com and they are the liquid soaps by Dr. Bronner's, but they have bar soap too. They ship internationally I read, but am not sure how much the shipping would be.

[zeakez]

Actually, our bodies are not designed to eat meat. The�canine teeth are were that way originally to be able to break through tough roots, and we are the only animals that cannot digest raw meat.

I just ordered some�organic, chemical-free,�animal by-product free�soap/shampoo (can use it for many things even cleaning your�laundry and floors) tonight.�The brand is "Dr. Bronner's".�Sounds like good stuff!�

I think it is so wonderful that you have friends from different cultures.� I work with doctors and nurses from different cultures, too.� Sometimes the only language they have in common is English, like you and your Uzbekistan friend.� It must be hard to speak another language for three hours! But good practice for you, right?

When Suki came to live with us she had studied English for five years. But only on paper! She said she had never spoken English, only had read it.� But she learned so quickly.

Hope you are enjoying your weekend. Do you get two days off from work, or only one? Whichever it is, I hope you have a relaxing time off.� I am sending you blessings from the other side of the world.� Gina

That is very interesting. I didn't know that about the men of either culture. I dated a boy who was Japanese for a year and a half. I was crazy about him. We went to different schools. But we spent every minute on the phone together or trying to find a way to spend time with each other.

When I moved back to the town he lived in, and we went to school together, we had already broken up. But I found out that NO ONE knew that he had ever had a girlfriend. He never mentioned me to anyone or said anything about me. I was so hurt. Not even his best friend knew that he had a girlfriend for a year and a half!!

Thank you for sharing this insight into the cultural differences.

That's very interesting to me to learn how cultures are different.� My husband is so sweet; he helps with the household chores all the time.� But of course we also both work outside the home, so it is only the right thing for both of us to work inside the home too. And always he tells me he loves me, many times a day.� I would miss that if he didn't!

We have always encouraged our daughter to talk about her feelings to help resolve issues.� When Suki lived with us she had a difficult time learning to talk about her feelings. She told us this was not how she was raised and it was hard for her to find words sometimes.� By the end of the year she was quite good at expressing her feelings and she told us that was one of the main things she would miss about her life here, was being able to talk about how she felt.

Have you ever been to America for a visit?� I think you would enjoy it!

I always enjoy reading your entries, Masako. Your English is excellent and I love how you express yourself.� Hope your week is going well, my friend.� Gina

what a sad story.�

[nbriggs]

You better answer the phone next time. It may be your friends.

DearGan

www.pyro-bunny16.piczo.com

Is that a Louis Vuitton bag I see?

See... this is where you make me feel like a lazy�American. No one I know, just gets together to go hiking with people from around work. We might get together and have beer at a bar, and watch a game. But we don't go�hiking. LOL. I'm just teasing.

And that is�weird that you guys spend a lot of money on umbrella's. I guess it's all the healthy walking you do!

I will be back on Wednsday! I am going�camping! I'll take lots of pictures for you!� I love sharing pictures with you!�

good song

[raspberrycola]

素晴らしい音楽および素晴らしい記入項目!

hope you understand my japanese...

I used to listen to Namie Amuro and Utada Hikaru and "Ayumi"...

Beautiful girl, and beautiful music. I noticed she's wearing a cross around her neck in the first part of the video. Is Christianity acknowledged there, or is the necklace just a fashion statement?

Our exchange student Suki wanted to become a Christian on her last Sunday here with us; she called home and asked her parents�but they would not allow it.� I bought her a cross necklace as a going away present but told her she didn't have to wear it.� She cried and sobbed, and told me she wanted to wear it. She was wearing it in all the pictures she sent us, for a long time.� But she told me she didn't know any other Christians in Japan.

Beautiful! I love how the Japanese people appreciate beauty in small things. Those little mirrors are adorable.

I love reading your entries.

So sorry about your panic attacks, my friend.� I will be praying that God will deliver you from panic attacks, and give you sweet peace.

I enjoy your entries so much, and the pictures too.� I am sending blessings to you across the ocean.� Love, Gina

I have had panic attacks before. They are painful and miserable!! I'm glad that you are not still suffering with them!

I think you are right.�I will be much happier and more content, when I get a good job, again! �

You're so sweet. Thank you. I'm not planning on doing anything right away. I have just realized that I can't pretend that everything is fine, anymore. Not on here, I mean.�My Husband and I have�known things weren't fine for a long time.

[waytoomuchtime]

No, we americans are spoiled lol. You'r welcome.

Dizzy

When we had our Japanese student here, we called her "Suki-chan," which is what her own family called her.� She told us that her brother should be called "Ken-san" but to tease him she often called him "Ken-chan" which I think "chan"�is meant for females instead? Correct?

I do hope your Aunt Michiko is feeling much better. I said a prayer for her healing.

Blessings to you from the other side of the world, my friend.� Gina

I think I have eaten broiled eel. I had some kind of eel once, that was served in a wooden box. It was�good. But not as good as�sushi! It was bland in comparison.

I hope your Aunt is better soon! Good luck.�

Wow they make you pay for parking. Hope you had fun.

Dizzy

What a cute picture! Very ingenious, Masako!

I love reading your entries and looking at your pictures. Your English is excellent,�and has a musical quality to it. Your pictures are like water for my thirsty eyes.

Thank you for brightening my day. Arigato.