Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Pictures from my Keitai!

I acknowledge I've got a lot of catching up to do! But in a way I'm happy I took a blogger sabbatical because it made me see that people actually read this thing hehe. So let's cut to the chase with a bunch of pictures from my keitai (cell phone)

I WENT TO THE ROOTS CONCERT LAST WEEK!
It was sooooo fun. They are amazing live. Just great.
The concert was at the Billboard Live in Tokyo Midtown (Roppongi)
You weren't supposed to take pictures or video but you know, I'm such a rebel like that hehe.
Although I did get busted towards the tail end of the night ;)
If I can find a way to upload the videos I'll do that too!
Highlights of the night: The Roots' remix rendition of Guns n Roses "Sweet Child of Mine", "You Got Me" and the encore performance of "The Seed"!!!

Pre-concert view with my bubbly!

THE ROOTSSSSS





Other big news!
I went to Rina and John's house the other week to visit Kira-chan their new beautiful baby!!! I bought Kira these cute little Juicy Couture diaper covers... No clue what to get a baby but I thought they were adorable and each cover was rolled up like a flower and in a little rubber plant pot!
Baby Kira-chan... OMG she is SO small! I have never seen anything so small before... When I held her I was seriously freaking out and really scared... I just liked to stare at her tiny hands and itty bitty body from here...

I also got to see Monty!!! Hisashiburi!!! I missed him... Brought him lots of snacks and played fetch with him like old times...

My friends and I love to do hump day dinners...
Makes the week go by a bit quicker!
AW Kitchen in Azabujuban!
Reservation for 6 under "Alanna-sama!"
Bania Calda... My new food obsession

Dinner @ Oak Door in Roppongi Hills!
Quite good!... Tuna tartar, lamb, kobe steak, spinach, brocolli, garlic mashed potatoes... YUM!
But of course, I only got a shot of the dessert:
Rocky road sundae and banana choco pie


Love this little izakaya in Azabujuban!
Wanted to try the natto omuraisu so badly but they were sold out!
Will have to go back to try that and the tonkotsu dumpling nabe...
Below is tomato nabe- Apparently a trendy thing in Japan right now...
They also had a wall of Kona Brewery... Major points!
Made me feel at home!!! :)
Always gotta have dessert!
Surprisingly quite heavy but really healthy pumpkin pie from Eat More Greens Cafe.

I want to take ikebana classes..
My beautiful tulips and the new vase I bought!!!


Tuesday, February 9, 2010

A blistering cold weekend.

1. Friday I had dinner at a great kurobuta restaurant in Ebisu called "Kurobutaya" - Literal translation - Black Pig Restaurant. And there were pigs everywhere! Pigs soap dispensers in the bathroom, pig stuffed animals in the restaurant, pig trash cans, pig everything! It was so funny! The meal was quite good though - Pork stir fry, pork shumai, pork dumplings in tonkotsu broth, pork croquette.... Uhh yeah, lots of pork haha.
2. Also must mention I continued to detox throughout dinner! No liquor, just oolong tea and water.
3. After dinner, everyone wanted to go to a wine bar... So I caved. Broke the exactly one week of no liquor streak. Not drinking wine at a wine bar... Blasphemy right? We went to this great place in Hiroo called Kissako. It was quite small, tucked away on the second floor of a building. The interior was quite zen, I loved it! On the way to the restroom the decor is like a small rock garden and you step from large stone to stone (so refrain from using the restroom if you are drunk or clumsy). Had one glass of wine with some house chocolates, caramels and ice cream. Delicious!
4. Saturday - ICE SKATING at Midtown!!!! I had been anticipating this for so long... But it was freezing freezing cold... So we did a little happy hour first at Union Square Tokyo. 500 yen for premium cocktails and 700 for sparkling wine! Again, I had a couple glasses but how can you not? The important thing is I stayed sober the entire weekend and was home before 3! :) And wine=grapes! Love the vodka but it's pure poisonnnnn. It can't be good for you. The bartender was quite nice (maybe a little too nice) and filled our flutes the very top! And then afterwards he poured out the rest of the bottle in my half full glass... We got a little warm and bubbly and off we went to to go skate!
5. Got the cutest cream VW mittens when we got there because VW is one of the sponsors of Midtown rink! Skating was sooooo fun. I want to go again! Haha.
6. Dinner in Tokyo Midtown food court (which is awesome by the way) with Sharilyn! First time I saw my cousin and I've been here since November! Crazy isn't it?
7. Pitstopped at Rigoleto and some other Midtown bar and called it a night... Went back to home sweet home.
8. Sunday was a day of catching up with Desperate Housewives and doing a little Jersey Shore marathon. Love it.
9. Sunday night we went to have dinner at Gonpachi in Nishiazabu where the Prime Minister took President Bush a few years back. Gonpachi is also the setting for one of the famous scenes from Kill Bill - which I have never seen by the way so I can't tell you exactly which one. I loveee the yakitamago and desserts there...

Waiting for Ayano... Happy Hour! Sparkling wine @Union Square Tokyo!

Before we got on the rink...

The Rink!

Candid! Hi!!!

VW bear and cute little kid in the background



Tokyo Tower in the background!

SNOW!

Skates

Standing on top a pile of snow...

Cousin Sharilyn and our strawberry shortcake :)

Monday, February 8, 2010

Random Thoughts of the Day

1. Great, fun relaxing weekend.
2. RIP Juicy bling studs... (; ;). Seriously a bit sad that one of them broke.
3. Long day of house shopping today after work! Super fun! Pictures below (yes, I know dorky, but I get really excited about these things... A little TOO excited...)! But it's my first time to pick out things for own apartment! These are milestones to remember! Everyday my place is more like a home!
4. Thai buffet was way too filling for lunch...My goodness I was uncomfortably full for most of the afternoon.
5. Found out my android is compatible with my mac yay!
6. I was in a serious cleaning mood tonight...
7. I can't fall asleep for some reason...
8. I love my new desktop... Rotating shots from Spring 2010 runway.
9. Why does my house get dusty so quickly?!
10. Excited for the 4 day work week (^.^)
11. Valentines Day here is so backwards. Why do we give chocolate to boys?! I really don't get it... And then in March there is "White Day" where boys reciprocate and give girls things... So I have to go buy chocolate now for all my guy friends...And expect nothing this year in return. Well that's no fun! ;) I'll go buy a present for myself then! :)
12. I'm so in love with Franc Franc.

This is sooo adorable! Probably one of my favorite things that I got today. It's a tea set! And I love pigs (plus I'm a little piggy - so my mommy/friends tell me cause I eat so much... unfortunately this is too true!).


Teapot and two teacups! And they are buffnblu!

Piggy teapot comes with a strainer inside

Matching coasters and tableware box!

Pink ceramic knife!

My plates! Another favorite! I love how they go together with everything! Apparently I have good taste, the lady at Franc Franc told me they were in some TV drama in Japan. Pretty cool, huh?


Chop2Pot cutting board... It folds and is an award winning cutting board!

My pair of crystal hashi (chopsticks!)

Crystal soup spoons too! I love this stuff.


Thursday, February 4, 2010

Random Thoughts of the Day

1. Saw a lady with a buffnblu bag today that said VODKA on it. I laughed.
2. Spring Nautical.
3. Need to check out Esola Ikebukuro!
4. Went to a cute bistro tonight called Les enfants terribles (literally like 3 min walking from my house!). Mmmm crepes and herbal chamomile tea.
5. So far doing well on my detox! We'll see how my will power is this weekend :)
6. Despite not wanting to go out at night, I have quite a busy next couple of days...
7. Will probably go MIA till Tuesday, if I blog before then I'll be quite surprised!
8. I need to go grocery shopping
9. I love my convertible arm warmer/mittens
10. I hate bills.
11. I am turning into a web geek... Did some online client alerts for attorneys today because or webber-girl in marketing is inundated with work... Who would've thought.
12. I make a bomb egg salad sandwich (I use a secret ingredient).
13. Can't wait to eat cereal for breakfast tomorrow morning - Two kinds: bran and fruit granola with fresh strawberries, bananas and soymilk! Such an Alanna meal :)
14. Good night!!!

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Random Thoughts of the Day

1. I made a tower of large envelopes on my desk today. The goal was to have it go above my cubicle.
2. Lunch was so filling I almost couldn't eat dinner.
3. I just can't get enough of Roppongi Hills! Great place for a little cardio (walking and shopping - it's too damn cold to run outside!)
4. I am becoming a Zara addict.
5. Received my first package in the mail today!!! I was so confused as to what it was and who it was from... Had to look up the kanji on the Internet! I found out it was from one of the attorney's and his wife! So sweet! Chocolate cake! Can't wait to eat it!

Wrapped so pretty... What is it?

Chocolate roll cake from Jiyugaoka!!!

Yum.

6. I met another coworker today... People from my office are so cute! I talked to her on the way to the station.
7. Cold rain today.
8. Love love love 3.1 Phillip Lim Spring. Too bad it's like double here. (; ;)
9. Dammit it's 12:30. I've been trying to get at least 8 hours of sleep a night this week! Just broke that streak.
10. Time for bed!!!

Ogo's

Ogo's gets it's own post because it is a Hawaiian restaurant and I am an island girl. Many people have raved about this place and told me to go here... It's actually in Akasaka which is where I work so it's a bit outrageous that today was my first time there for lunch.

After weeks of Wednesday rescheduling, Greg (aka oyaji onichan) and I finally got our Ogo's lunch together. He frequents this place so often he knows the owner! The space is tiny but homey. The owner is also the chef and his name is Yoji. He went to Aiea High School. When we walked in he's like "Oh you went Iolani, too?" And I replied, "Oh hell no. The other school. The better one." And he goes, "Oh, Punahou." Haha. Some things never change I guess.

Let's cut the chase... The food... Amazing. And lunch was a good deal (1200 yen). I had the spicy tuna poke over furikake rice and a chicken tomato stew with rice and mac salad! Greg had the three choice - Loco Moco, kalua pig and the stew as well! For dessert we had haupia. SO MUCH FOOD. I stuffed myself silly. I got awfully homesick, though, sitting in there and listening to the Jawaiian music....sigh.

The scene... Hawaiian quilts on the wall, Benny's baseball jersey hung on the wall, lots of UH sporting attire and of course pictures of Colt Brennan. Oh, and lauhala on the walls. Love it.
Our lunch!!!

I already want to go back for dinner!

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Random Thoughts of the Day

1. Woke up this morning, stepped outside my balcony and whaddaya know! Look at all that snow at the rooftop of the building across the street!!! I really wanted to (still do want to) play in it...
2. First conference call ever today. Got to work early to call in... I felt important even though it was mainly just a presentation type thing for our new global pitch framework.
3. If you know me, you know I could very well be Jared the Subway Guy cause I love it. Like my mom says "Sometimes you're so easy to please. Get you a Subway and you're happy." Haha, yes that's a bit sad, I know. But my love for Subway balances out my love for ridiculously expensive shoes, purses and clothes. Anyway, had Subway for the first time in Japan for lunch Monday! And do I dare say... It's better than the States? I think so! They even have a variety of flavored fries! I tried the basil ones (yum) though sadly, I ran out of ketchup. I'll be back next week and make sure to ask for two packets of ketchup.
4. Japanese strawberries. YUM.
5. Check out my dessert tonight... Peanut butter with fresh bananas and strawberry sandwich!!! Devoured that.

6. Loving my deep purple metallic nails.
7. I'm sad it didn't snow tonight.
8. Going ice skating this Saturday! So excited!!!
9. I miss my bikini drawer at home.
10. STILL tired... Good night.

Monday - SNOW!!!

1. I experienced my first snowfall in Tokyo!
2. I have never lived in a city where it snowed... (Hawaii/Malibu=more or less euphoric, tropical climate areas)
3. It was so so exciting! I actually left my house and went to the supermarket just to see snow falling... These pictures do not do justice... There were seriously huge chunks of snowflakes coming down in sheets from the sky! I tried to catch some in my hand... But failed.
Outside my apartment!
At the corner of Shichimenzaka (my street) on my way to the market!
One last picture before I scurried back home. I think this is the best one!
4. Train doors sure are strong! I almost got caught in one on the way home yesterday. Barely made it through. Sorta scary.
5. I'm convinced my mom should've and could've been a first class model in Japan. They all look a lot like her... Yeah?
.
5. Went to bed on Monday at 11:00 p.m. I was STILL tired...

Playing Catchup! Thursday-Sunday

1. I have been MIA! Thanks for pointing this out to me J! I feel loved knowing someone follows (~.^)
2. Thursday: Went to a great French bistro called Bistro de la Cite in Nishiazabu! The rilette (similar to pate, usually made with pork- I did not know this, did some research) and bread was excellent! Other dishes included a scallop salad with truffles, escargot, steak with fries and a French dish with beans and sausage on top. I can't remember what it's called but it was baked and served in a small casserole dish. For dessert I had a maron cream cake (maron is chesnut). I usually don't like maron but this was also delicious and quite light. Really cute place and good food! Also found a charming little bar that plays oldies across the way... The owner is an adorable old man that works the bar himself and deejays at the same time. It's really a one-man-show. His deejay set plays only records and every time a song plays, he hangs the record cover on the wall.
3. Friday: 新宴会 (shinnenkai=beginning of the year celebration usually involving dinner and drinks) with my coworkers! It was so fun. We went to an お好み焼き (okonomiyaki=the Japanese cabbage pancake with all sorts of meat/seafood and special sauces on top!) restaurant where it was 食べ放題/飲み放題 (tabehoudai/nomihoudai=all you can eat/drink). Wow was I stuffed! Then we went a great little lounge in 表参道 (Omotesando). It was in the basement of a building and you had to take off your shoes upon entering. The place was so posh! Plush purple and red carpeting everywhere, white leather furniture, kitschy 70s lava lamp-ish lighting and tons of great cocktails. I will be back. Below are two of the many:
I ordered this one... Some sort of peach bellini type cocktail. So pretty and it tasted like juice.

This next cocktail was Rie's apple sangria type cocktail.
4. Friday was long. Snuck into F Bar since it was near my house but left shortly after realizing my friends were way too drunk. Met up with other friends near a cute lounge even closer to my house. Somehow they talked me into changing and going clubbing... At 3 am. Eek. Enough said.
5. Brunch @ the Park Hyatt... Apparently you can order bacon and eggs even if it's not on the menu! Saturday was a gorgeous day and eating on the patio outside was so fun!
6. Saturday I tried to nap. TRIED unsuccessfully.
7. G-chat session with my PIC - Leslie! Really missed that.
8. Saturday night: Mustered up the strength to make it to the birthday party. We rented a boat for one the girls and had about 25 people onboard! It was so gorgeous. Even though it was cold, I stayed outside in my down jacket and just enjoyed the cool winter breeze and shiny lights! The boat ride was about 2 hours from Hinode to Odaiba (where I actually did my homestay when I was in Japan studying abroad). In my delirious state I forgot my camera and have no pictures. (; . ; ) I'll have to steal some and post later.
9. Post-nautical activities... Clubbing again. By now I was one dead fish. I was drinking water and oolong tea at the club. The thought of alcohol made me nauseas.
10. Jersey Shore... What trash. I love it.
11. Sunday as usual a day of relaxation and recharging. But I bought a trashcan from Muji!
12. One hell of a weekend. I am learning that I am more of a little island girl than I thought.
13. Looking forward to NOT GOING OUT this weekend.
14. Detoxing.