RONDOOOO

Photo credit: ESPN

I've loved Rondo before all the Rondo hype. I've loved Rondo since I saw him in 2008. With Game 6 upon us and the Celts just one game away from their 18th title... It's only fitting to wish Rondo good luck by explaining why he is my favorite player- bar none in the NBA!

1o. His face is like a cute little boy.

9. He's fast as hell and doesn't give up. http://ballhype.com/video/rajon-rondo-dives-for-ball-past-jason-williams/

8. He's a skater! http://ballhype.com/video/rajon_rondo_rollerskates_with_kids/

7. He's cocky. Boston center, Kendrick Perkins on Rondo: "I'm just telling you, Rajon is real cocky, he's got swagger. The good kind."

6. He's a team player with the most triple doubles of any player this post season.

5. He is a family guy. In a short feature by USAToday, he says his favorite holiday is Christmas cause he gets to be with his family.

4. He loves kids and fashion! Rondo and Tony Allen gave shopping sprees to 32 kids under one condition- That they could be their personal fashion guides. See the ESPN story here.

3. He is a little guy in the NBA (6'1) but still thinks he can take Ron Artest.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MhacGmo9UU&feature=related

2. He has a sense of humor. On his technical foul in Game 5 (see above video): “I’m not that strong,” Rondo said, smiling. “He did (flop) a little bit. He’s probably the strongest guy on the court in this series. I’ve been lifting a little bit, but other than that, I didn’t push him that hard.”

And the number one reason I love Rajon Rondo....

1. He loves LV just like me :)

Photo credit: ParlourMagazine

Tuesday and Tofu

What a night... Was looking forward to going on a run (It was hot today!) but surprise! Worked for 11 hours... Thank you Legal500 and partner CVs...

Photo credit: Spreadsheetpage.com
Oh and also I HATE EXCEL... Excel and I did not get off to a very good start... It's like having to go out on your first blind date that your boss set you up on - You're clueless about him (Excel) and thus, feel a bit uncomfortable about the whole situation. You really don't want to do it but you have to. So you try to figure out the fastest and most painless way to get it over with. But as luck would have it... That doesn't work so you're stuck. Metaphor aside, I'm not in finance - but who knew that spreadsheets would be such a big part of my job?! If anyone knows any shortcuts and tricks to expedite my feeble abilities please let this right brained girl know right away!

On my way home I picked up some fresh veggies for a salad and some tofu. It was refreshing (and wonderful) to have a simple, small meal. I missed eating at home on my coffee table surfing the Internet. That sounds really sad - But I'm easy to please at heart :) Frankly- I'm tired of constantly eating out.

Let's skip back to the weekend with a little photo jump.

Saturday night! Thought I'd start a new little project and document what I wear.

Dress: H&M; Shoes: Jimmy Choo; Bangles: Alex&Ani


Dinner @ the Tanuki izakaya in Juban - This place is soo Japanese - like a typical Japanese izakaya. From L to R - escargot, hijiki mix and kabocha with a cream cheese paste on top.

Shochu...

Feria - where else?

Miki is hiding....

The group!


Thanks for the h20, Will

Sunday- bagna cauda @ Eat More Greens! Look how cute the baby bean is!!!

Windsor Cafe - Best table in the place - outside.

Cream anmitsu for dessert

WAW

The view from the top @ Cassita, the rooftop lounge where I had a nightcap on Monday.

In the spirit of the ty's, brb's, lol's... I think I'm gonna take it one step forward and start abbreviating my blog entry titles.
What a week... I went out every SINGLE night this week. How is that possible?!

Photo credit: ESPN
Monday: Game 2 @ Legends!!! YUP. Rayray record breaking evening plus my favorite- #9's triple double. (^.^)

Tuesday: Dinner @ Napule in Tokyo Midtown! AMAZING.

Me and Miki! Pre-dinner. (Miki and I went to Pepp together and her friends know my friends - Tokyo is so small!)

I think I'm scolding someone...

Course 1- A sampler of sorts: Eggplant, prosciutto, white fish carpaccio, escargot, sun-dried tomatoes, a fresh fig, spinach pie and seasoned greens.

We were too hungry - And pizza is my favorite "junk" food so I was completely distracted... But these are the remains of Course 2 (which was margarita pizza and gorgonzola cheese pizza)

After the pizza I was quite full - So I ended up having two courses in front of me at one time because I was eating so slow!!! Courses 3: Sausage tomato pasta and Course 4 (the main): tender beef with potatoes. Sadly I can't believe I forgot to take a picture of DESSERT - but the fifth and final course of the evening was a chocolate cake with panna cotta and fresh fruits.

The LV expert with my LV

Tuesday dinner group!

Wednesday: Game 3. Disappointing. Mom and I had a misunderstanding and she accidentally leaked who won to me in an email @ work... Boooo. I had gone through great lengths to organize this huge get together too with a bunch of my friends! So I was LIVID especially since the Celtics lost. Wow, I am such a guy! Yes I tend to overreact to sports games when it comes to the NBA. Admitting is the first step. Despite the loss, I ended up going to Legends anyway. By the way - Let me explain a bit about Legends. Legends is basically one of the only sports bars in Roppongi that plays NBA games. That being said it is a TOTAL MEAT MARKET. The stomping grounds for foreign men - most of whom are bankers, ex-pats, etc. My mom made me swear to never go there alone. Haha. Which I completely agree with... But because of the NBA finals I frequent this place at least twice a week! I've kept my promise and always bring a friend... Safety in numbers.

Thursday: Oh hello 12-hour work day. Hadn't seen you in a while. After coming home around 10:30 I just wanted to RELAX and not do anything. But an acquaintance I met here, Satoko (who is a bit older than me- but she has taken a liking to me- and is a very well connected lady in Tokyo - travels between Paris and Tokyo a bunch) invited me to karaoke with her and her friends... I really didn't want to go as I was exhausted but when I called to cancel, she insisted I come for just a drink and a song. So I listened to my elders... It helped that they were at my favorite karaoke place! She wanted to introduce me to her party - Tokyo is a crazy place I tell you. I never know what I'm getting myself into. Nice to meet you Mr. President/CEO of Pernod Ricard Japan, Mr. President/CEO of some huge skincare company in Japan, and Mr. CEO of some Japanese asset management firm... Great to see you again Mr. Movie Producer and a pleasure to meet you Miss Famous Japanese Actress. Sometimes my life is not real life.

Friday: Zonked. Marketing event in Ark Hills after work... Networking, talking, asking questions about our competing firms, blah blah blah. My mind was elsewhere... I wanted to leave so I could go watch Shrek and Donkey save the day off the Celtics bench to even out the series 2-2. I couldn't follow along gamecast live today since I was busy with a pitch due this morning... But I did catch the press conference at lunch. The Nate Robinson/Big Baby interview AKA Shrek and Donkey is one to bookmark! Adorable! World Cup also kicked off today... Yawn, could care less about soccer... Came home and could not be more excited to watch and read the clips/commentary/highlights/stories from Game 4.

Getting Carrie'd Away

Drumroll please... Because...I made it through the weekend without stepping foot into a club!!! Woohoooo. How about a round of applause? That being said, I did manage to have quite a full weekend!
On Saturday we had a girls night and saw Sex and the City 2! Contrary to the awful reviews... As an avid fan, I had no complaints! Fluff is what I wanted and it's what I got with specificity to: Some garish, ostentatious frocks (some fabulous and some fabulously hideous but entertaining nonetheless), a two hour tourist advertisement for the gorgeous Abu Dhabi, and a plethora of hot guys...Hello Aiden and Smith- Thank you for making me miss my tan terribly.

Earlier that day, I did a little shopping. I picked up some new friends... Hello lovelies.




Yes, I know I have a serious shoe problem / fetish. I guess it was only fitting that I was in Carrie Bradshaw's company later that evening.

Before the movie, I went to this GREAT yakitori restaurant on Saturday in Azabujuban called Kotatsu. It's a small hole in the wall restaurant and as they say in Japan, "shibui". The best way I can explain shibui is like old school, dapper, cool- like George Clooney. ***Disclaimer: FYI- My Japanese is by no means good enough to be explaining what words mean

We had bania cauda (See? It's a totally trendy appetizer in Japan esp. since this was a Japanese restaurant and they still had it!), shiitake/tsukune, bacon/tomato, bacon/asparagus (yes I love my bacon), atsuage (deep fried tofu), seared chicken with ume and satsumaimo (purple potato) croquette! Since I can't finish a meal without something sweet, I indulged in kurogoma (black sesame) ice cream for dessert. You may be thinking the same thing as me... How good can black sesame ice cream be?! But it was GOOD. I loved this little place, I'll definitely be back :)

Today was a great day. I slept in for a bit and then met my friend Nina for lunch in Azabujuban. I promise sometimes I leave juban but it's incredibly conveniently located and there are so many great restaurants that I have trouble branching out!!! Nina and I met when we studied abroad in Tokyo at Sophia together. She's here for a couple months doing an intensive Japanese language program since it's a requirement to get her MBA. We had omuraisu at this place called Windsor Cafe.

Photo credit: Azabujuban Organization

Since it was soo gorgeous and hot out we decided to walk to Hiroo and do a little picnic in the park (mainly so I could tan). We picked up a roll cake with fresh fruit, tea, a mat from the 100 yen store and set up camp. I LOVE THIS PARK! Unfortunately my camera died so I couldn't document anything. (; ;) But I plan to go there a lot more so next time I'll post some pictures! Hiroo is an ex-pat community and because of this there are tons little kids speaking English (which is refreshing) but what's even better are all the hapa halfies running around! They're sooo cute! Wow, could I be any more of a sucker for mixed babies?

My new weekly ritual has been to go to a hot stone spa - which is about a ten minute walk from my house. My favorite neighbor, Marie, introduced me to this place, Arashinoyu and we try to go every weekend together. It's a sauna/steam room type deal, but the floor is made of layers and layers of mineral rocks (we're talking like hundreds of thousands of stones). You sweat like no other but it feels damn good. We also do a 20 minute yoga facial when we go there (which is basically a facial/head massage). All this for.... JPY3900=Less than USD39. Which I think is a really really good deal.


We broke the rules a bit and did dessert before dinner. Pictured above is a taiyaki (a crust filled with azuki beans shaped like a fish). Marie loves taiyaki and had been raving about it forever. Today she was so sweet and bought me one! I didn't think I would be a fan but this little guy was DELICIOUS! Crispy on the outside, soft and warm in the center. Apparently this place - Naniwaya - is very very famous. People wait in line and it can take up to an hour to get your taiyaki because they individually make each one! JPY130 (less than USD1.30) for one. Oh and did I mention it's in Azabujuban too? Hehe.

For dinner we went to this new fish restaurant... Below please find the extent of my cooking for the ENTIRE week - I'm horrible I ate out every night! Haha!

Salmon, shiitake, fishcake, maguro cheek, asparagus and tomato skewers followed by a seafood natto mix and croquette (not pictured cause we didn't have to cook those).

So now I understand why I stopped blogging for such a prolonged period of time... It takes me a good while! It's already past midnight! Time for bed. Some random thoughts before I zzzz:

1) Besotted with t-shirts by The Row. They are so comfy/sexy chic.
2) Very nervous for tomorrow - Game 2!!! Come on Celtics, pull through and make it a series!!!
3) Really not looking forward to rainy season...
4) TG for my AC.
5) Airplanes=new favorite song.
6) My TV is coming in about two weeks yipee!
7) New sport to take up: Tennis?
8) Fleetwood Mac - Gypsy

Back to Blogging

It's Friday... And I'm home- Not to mention I WAS home... Before midnight.
To say that even I am shocked is an understatement! I stuck to my word despite my friends trying to coerce me to meet them for a cocktail after a birthday party for two of my favorite coworkers! We went to eat at a Spanish tapas restaurant called Donguri in Nishiazabu.

Kanpai! Pre-birthday cheers.


Mini tako (octopus) - far left, in our nabe (hot pot soup). This freaked me out. Is it just me or does this tako resemble a crazy alien?!


The group!


Happy Birthday Midori-chan and Arisa-chan! (Unfortunately I have awful timing and took this post-cake mass destruction)


After dinner at Donguri we went to karaoke for a bit in Nishiazabu at my favorite spot- J&H. This place is so cool! It's a members only karaoke bar tucked away behind the intersection. The location is discreet and you have to slide your card through a slot. Once accepted, the lights suddenly illuminate and the glass door opens. Once inside, there's a large book shelf to your left (something seriously straight out of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) that suddenly splits and reveals a staircase. The workers then lead you up the staircase to your karaoke room- sleek areas with plush black leather furniture and glass tables. As you can tell, I'm a sucker for the architecture and decor alone. Added to the fact that I love to sing... Well, I'm a sucker. I'll have to take pictures next time - But this was only the second time I've been there. One of the girls requested Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas is You" - which I found hilarious. But I had no complaints and was actually ecstatic since it's my all time favorite Christmas song and my friends and family bar me from listening to Christmas music between December 26 through Thanksgiving every year. All in all tonight was a fun night and good Japanese practice! :)

So let's rewind back a couple days to Wednesday=Hump Day.


A casual drink out our favorite lounge in Juban, NUMBAR, somehow turned into curiously wandering into DIX, getting in without paying cover, finding out we were the only ones in the club and proceeding to take advantage of this by requesting a million songs from the deejay and dancing/sipping champagne. I hate and I mean DETEST going out on weeknights because I am a closet granny like that~ But really... What's not to like about the above situation? It was so much fun!!!


Apparently a casual drink to Miki=Hawaiian shots for everyone. This was gross.





Why are you guys so orange?



The newest accessory trend- VIP ropes

Hello June

My mom had mentioned to me... Why don't you blog anymore?! This is something you can look back on when you are old and remember what your life was like in Tokyo!
So today's important thing to note:
I WALKED HOME FROM WORK TODAY FOR THE FIRST TIME!
It was a gorgeous day - And somehow I managed to get out of the office while the sun was still out! Seizing such an opportunity I decided to walk home... Using Tokyo Midtown as my bearing... What a wonderful little stroll! One of my favorite things about living in a city - Long walks.
Below are some pictures from the ALB Gala I went to last Friday at The Ritz Carlton. For months I had really been looking forward to this event... It's basically the Oscars for lawyers... My boss invited me with her and a bunch of other partners since I worked so hard to get us a bunch of nominations! And at the end of the night we walked away with three awards! YIPEEEE! Then we all went karaoke - popped some Moet to celebrate and I was reigned Karaoke Princess of B&M! (^.^)


ピース！Ikeda-sensei and Eguchi-sensei




The Group!!!

Random thoughts before bedtime:
1. Can't wait for SATURDAY SATC2 with the girls! Pink, bling, heels, cosmos!
2. Obsessed with Diptyque creme pour le corps body cream from Estnation.
3. Rearranged my studio!
4. I miss trashy magazines - Us, InTouch, etc.
5. FINALLY got a Roppongi Hills card
6. Let's hope I can be a good little shopper at this weekend's Opening Ceremony event
7. Cannot WAIT to go home
8. BEAT LA! BEAT LA! Yikes Game 1 of NBA Finals TOMORROW!!!
9. Wednesday Hump Day last night was ridiculous.
10. Mmm Makkori.
11. So. Happy. Not. To. Have. Clubbing. On. The. Agenda. This. WEEKEND... PHEW!
12. I love dinner dates with my favorite neighbor, Marie!

Make You Work Work Make you Work

OMG. I have never worked so many hours in my life. 10-12 hour average since two Fridays ago... What is this corporate life? I am NOT a fan and being a Stepford wife sounds like an AMAZING way to retire after I make it to the top, sit there for about two years and QUIT! Hahaha. Just kidding.... But am I? ;) Thank god I get overtime ... Ka-ching! But like I tell myself always... This is the life I wanted, and I got it. So despite my need to complain, I'm still thankful. I'm learning a ton and it's really a small sacrifice to reap the benefits, I guess. Soon 12 hour days may just be the norm...

In other news, I rewarded myself after a SATURDAY of work (yes I worked on a weekend) and went shopping! - Got this adorable nautical tube top jump suit from La Foret and as always did some damage at my favorite cheap n chic store, Forever21. Ahh.. Natsukashii (nostalgic)... Felt like I was home there for a second digging through all that fun jewelry!

And I love my new friend Rie- She is gorgeous and sooo much fun! My first real nihonjin friend though she speaks pretty great English.

Can't wait to see my Mommy in almost one week!!! Woooo! And can't wait for Golden Week VACAY!!!

No pics tonight but I do have some. Just needed to vent a bit! TG my submission needs to be in by tomorrow - Maybe things will slow down a little... But really, who am I kidding, wishful thinking...

Love blasting MGMT and Santogold on my iTouch after a looooong dayyyyy....