Japanese Food; Jusco market and Mister Donut

This morning, my Mom and I took the dogs to get their monthly baths and haircuts. It's just too cute that they go to a doggy salon. Jusco, which is something like the Japanese Mall [WAY better than American mall] is right across the street, so we took a little afternoon trip there for coffee and donuts at Mister Donut.

French Crueller, Sugar Donut, and Sesame Topped Donut

Mister Donut is an amazing little donut shop with the best coffee and donuts you've ever tasted. I'm not a coffee snob, but I've never tasted better coffee. And the donuts are incomparable. I don't know what they're made of, but they're NOT made of the crap Americans make their donuts with. They're light and fluffy, and virtually guilt free. I had a donut and a half and didn't feel like a fatty like I would if I had Dunkins.

We took a little walk around the Jusco food market to see what they had. I would've bought it all if I had yen. Thank god I didn't, because then I'd have no money.

Squid Tempura

Bean paste filled rolls, shaped like monkeys.

Vegetable Tempura Patties!

Egg, Asparagus and Ham in a bread roll. Probably with Japanese Mayo! These are delicious!

I'm pretty sure this is a specifically Okinawan thing. They're fried squid balls. They mix it with a dough mix, and roll it around on this ball form hot plate.

Various assortments of hot lunch food!

Bento boxes! The most delicious quick lunch!

Sushi bentos. The top shelf has rice balls with fillings and comes with seaweed that you have to wrap yourself. It's kind of difficult, but delicious whether you know how to wrap it or not.

Who To Watch: Aubrey Plaza

I just got done watching Funny People, and fell in love with this girl, Aubrey Plaza. She plays Seth Rogen's fling in the movie, and she's just too adorable. She looks like a hipster and has a hesitant, almost shy way of talking. I just want to follow her around.

Until I can physically follow her, I have the internet and will be watching her. She will be appearing in Michael Cera's new movie Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, coming out next year. But you should really check her out in Funny People. You just want to hug her, and give her a playlist and a cup of coffee. Cuz that's what sarcastic hipsters need.

So Far In Japan... Soba and Holiday Cookie Decorating

Extreeeeeeemly tired yet content with thick noodles.

Things have been very relaxed in Japan so far. Without a bike, ID card, license, energy, or time, I haven't gone on any adventures yet. But of course, I have all the time in the world. This is what I have done so far.

Ate Soba

I wasn't really hungry when I got into Tokyo during my day long trip to Japan. I was more tired and stressed and anxious. But I NEEDED to have some real Japanese food. And maybe Airport soba [thicker noodled ramen] isn't the most authentic, but its more bona fide than Maruchan ramen packets, so I was happy. Happy enough to take pictures.

At the little food kiosk I bought this at, there was a table that you stand at to eat. There were some Japanese business men standing there slurping their soba, so I joined them. It was a welcoming experience. And the best thing I've tasted in a long time.

Decorated Cookies

Last night, my mom and I stayed up late and decorated cookies for the soldiers in her battalion for Christmas. It felt very Christmas-y. Of course, we have no decorating experience, and fooled around with the decorations and colors, but they came out very cute in a homely way.

The ginger bread men at the top right corner are camouflage colored [totally by accident] and Mom did the little Santa ones.

Goodbye To Buffalo

I have moved from Buffalo to Okinawa, Japan where my parents live. Today is my first day here, and I think some overdue goodbyes are in order.

It's been a good 4 months. It was definitely one of learning experiences. It was a period of growth. It is sad that it is over before the entire dream is realized, but I've begun to see that I don't make my dreams, my dreams just steer the dreams of a higher power. Perhaps Buffalo isn't meant for me. Though I will admit, I grew quite fond of the place.

I met so many interesting, and wonderful people, and a lot of interesting, and disgusting people as well. Buffalo was slowly shaping into being a home for me, and I wish I had a longer chance with it--I could've turned it into something beautiful.

To The People I Loved: I never felt as honestly liked for who I honestly as I did here in Buffalo. Here are the people that made a difference.

Don: Don, who spent these past 4 painful, yet beautiful months with me right by my side. Don, whom I never should have taken from his element, stuck through all the trash thrown at him by this city. Buffalo and living with each other wasn't everything we dreamnt it would be, but we had some good times here. He will be continuing his education back home in Michigan while I move back home to my parents. He has been my boyfriend of nearly 2 years, and he has been such a life-saving aspect. I could always count on him for love, and support, and comfort, and warmth. He was my best friend and lover, and advisor and most important person in my life. I will feel empty without him, and I am sorry that Buffalo tore us apart.

Liz: Liz; The new best friend who was everything I've ever needed in a friend since I realized I needed a friend. She came at a time when I was sure that there would never be a person who would understand me. And then, there we were, finishing each other's sentences the first time we hung out. It's going to be so hard someone who enjoys almost exactly the kind of music I enjoy. I'm going to be hard pressed to find someone who "thinks way into things" and over-analyzes things such as television commercials. I'll probably never find someone who finds the same ridiculous things as I do amusing. And I can search high and low, but will never find someone as beautiful, unique, compassionate, and right for me as Liz. I can't stand the fact that we had so little time together.

Julia: The music geek, the girl who fascinated me, the first stereotypical geeky college student I've met [I knew they existed!], and my coffee buddy. We met for the first time in the library and exchanged blogs. Every so often afterwards, we get together for coffee and literally gossip. Didn't think smart girls gossiped huh? I always was fascinated by her story, and wish her the best of luck turning things around.

Katie: The first girl who talked to me at ECC, who is obsessed with the weather channel and has a camera named Dmitri which she uses quite well. Stair time was always enjoyable when she was around, and I was extremely happy those days she would take me walking around downtown when it was warm out.

Eddie: I have to talk about Eddie because he was such an amazing individual. This guy! If you say hello to him, he will ask you questions about yourself that make you feel like he is writing an entertainment special on you. His outgoing tendencies are to be admired. If a stranger needs to be asked a question, Eddie will ask it. If a lemon needs to be peppered and eaten, Eddie will ask a woman if he should, then do it. Eddie made the time I spent at the stairs at school so much more enjoyable.

7:24 Number 5 Bus Driver: This is the nicest bus driver I've ever met, and I've never met a nice bus driver in my life. To every person who got on the bus, he said hello to. I became a regular in the morning on the bus, and if he saw me down the road, he would wait for me. If I missed the bus, he would scold me and say that he missed me. And when I would get off the bus, he would say "Goodbye sweetheart/gorgeous/beautiful". He always got me into conversation with him from the time I got on in front of the metro station to the time I got off at Porter. Every bus driver should be more like this guy. He never had to be nice, since that wasn't part of his job, but he made riding the bus so much more enjoyable. It was refreshing to have a nice soul in a city full of aloof people.

To The People I Hate: To the sluts, to the tards, and the dicks. You made my life entertaining. You made me feel good about myself because at least I wasn't you. You gave me stories to tell, and lessons to learn. I want to thank these people for the laughs.

Beverly: I will miss your constant digging of your crotch, skyward wandering eyes, and unfortunate gums that grow rotten calcium. I will miss how you would bang on our wall and yell "SORRRRYYY!! Sorry ya'll, I won't make no noise". I will miss how I could always tell what sport was on, and how you used to yell "Comeon FOOTBALL!" and talk to football like it was your friend.

Every Hobo that Harassed Me: No, I will not give you a cigarette. No, I really don't have any change. And No, I will not walk with you to buy you a meal. Ok, so maybe it's heartless of me to hate hobos, but they never seem thankful. In the beginning, I did give cigarettes and change to every bum that asked. I even bought a meal for one. But then I noticed that they would go to the next person and get a cigarette from them! And the guy I bought the meal for, was asking other people for food as I was on my way to buy him a slice of pizza!

I also want to give a special mention to the hobo that accused me of raping him, and the one that had his manhood out on the bus. You were the most memorable.

Skinny-Cigarette-Bumming-Girl: Remember how you took two hits of my friend's cigarette that she bummed you and then threw it out? Remember how you tried to trade me my own candy cane for a cigarette? Remember how you asked me EVERY TIME YOU SAW ME for a cigarette? There's a gas station down the street honey. Maybe you can sell your blue shoes you rave about all the time and go buy yourself a pack.

Maggie: For every time you cut me off in conversation because I was talking to a guy that you liked, for every time you blew off one of my friends for your 40 year old fireman boyfriend, for every time you shamelessly flirted, then cried when they teased you... For every time you were a dumb bitch. It is my victory when you are lonely, out of school, and nobody cares :)

To The Places I'll Miss: I get comfortable in places quite easily, and Buffalo is no exception. I became attached to a couple of places.

My Kitchen: I think I created myself in this kitchen, along with a bunch of delicious foods. All my life, I told myself I'd never be a chef. But then I started making my own meals, and found that not only do I have a talent, but I love it! My kitchen[ette] was a dinky little thing, and I didn't have many tools, but I loved it, because it was all mine. My rules, my food, my kitchen. I'll miss that kitchen more than anything.

Erie Community College--City Campus: Where I spent my first semester of college. It looked like what I moved from my hometown for--an unconventional community college. In the heart of the city, stood an old castle, and that was my school! Actually, it was an old post office, but it looked like a castle. And it wasn't a modern, boring, three hallway building like most community colleges. It gave me the feel of a university, sort of, that I really wanted. And of course, there were the stairs, where I met and talked to so many people. Stair time always was, and always will be, my favorite part of Buffalo.

Buffalo Public Library--Central Location: Oh big beautiful library with your millions and millions of books and your cafe that had the best food in the entire world. You made me so happy. I'll miss my Friday trips to you for entertainment. I'll miss my coffee trips with Julia to you. I'll miss everything about you city library.

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There's a lot that I will miss, but that comes with the territory of moving somewhere and getting attached to it. Buffalo was good to me, and while I failed there, I'm glad that I did it. I'm glad I experienced these places and things. And I'm glad I'm in Japan. There's a whole new set of adventures for me to have here, and I hope that you readers will be with me every step of the way.

Insomnia and Wimp.com

When sleep evades you, there's always the internet. Often too tired to learn anything new, you turn to simple things such as youtube, music blogs, and cooking blogs. The latter of which I am horribly addicted to.

Wimp.com is what I like to prefer to as "the shit". It takes every amazing video found everywhere on the web except for youtube, and puts it in a daily list for you. This means you get quality amazement from National Geographic, independent film makers, and news. The few times you do get a home video, they make sure it's top notch.

Don and I were perusing the site and these were this week's gems that we found.

Surprised Kitty

I found that what made this video was so funny was that you didn't know if the kitten was truly surprised or not. And if it was, then it's heart must've been pounding like a Starbucks Store on lunch break. Which is a funny thing.

Ice Skating Monkey

I want to know what jerk went to the jungle, saw a monkey and decided "I'm gonna put that monkey in skates!" But it's pretty much worth watching, only because you get to see a tiny-human looking thing do things no real tiny human could ever do. Its fun.

Cool Drawing Stop Motion

If I could draw like this man, I would be completely content with my life. I would never have to worry about bills, or school, because I can say "Hey, at least I have an expansively creative mind". I will probably watch this nonstop for an hour straight everyday to force myself to think like this. Helpful tip: it only gets better and better.

Timelapse: Worms, sea stars

This is the most surreal thing I've seen in my life. The colors are spectacular, and the way they cover that hunk of coral... you can almost hear them like leaves in the fall. It also has a serious theme to it; the peacefulness turns out to be a facade, and deep down inside, you're sucking on seal carcasses. The most serene looking things are the most twisted on the inside.

Remember, this is a time lapse of about a year. Starfish don't really move that fast.

Big Bang Theory

Cool show, but no. This is a video short, depicting the events in stellar visualizations, how the earth began according to the big bang theory. No matter what your creed is, I think you can entertain the beauty of the thought long enough to enjoy it if you don't believe the theory. Note all the passion that went into the very early stages of earth. It makes me feel so intense, knowing that the earth was once so alive like that.

How To Beat The Winter Blues

I am back from a long blog hiatus to report to you about a malady I have been suffering from for a month; The Winter Blues.

November was a gray month this year, and even though it didn't snow the entire month, I still felt myself getting more and more sad with each drop of the mercury bar. It is no mystery why this happens; November is a dull limbo in weather and there is very little beautiful about it. Autumn, with its rainbow of harvest colors has turned to a pile of damp brown leaves, and winter looms over us with threat. Everything is dead and cold. It's very easy to get caught up in depression when the weather isolates you from the natural world.

For those of you with family, fear not for this malady, your season is here! But for those like me who are alone, I have come prepared with remedies. You can rise from the oppressive cloud of frost that settles on the shoulders of your coat.

Dress warm, no matter how stupid you look. This is important and honest advice. Trust me when I say that wearing Uggs on the first day of snow because you're afraid of being the only one in the city wearing winter boots isn't exactly the best recipe for a great day. It is the recipe for icy feet, wet socks, and damp moods. And believe it or not, but it can be empowering when you can wear ugly clothes and still be beautiful. I love coats, but most of my thrift store coats don't cut it through bitter wind and snow. I have a large poofy coat, which is horrendous in the style department, but marvelous in the warmth department. On top of being warm, my tickle bone is also warmed by the sight of judging eyes mixed with shivering bodies.

Pick up a new hobby. Cabin fever is inevitable, but you can postpone it if you can make yourself enjoy something inside. I encourage you to go one step further than reading, or painting. Try something you've never done before. Build a model, sew a small quilt, or pick up cooking [for cooking ideas, look for my cooking blog coming soon!]. I know I often encourage hobbies, but that's because I don't think enough people see the value in them.

The important part is to not let others drag you down, which is always easier said than done. People dictate my life, no matter how many times I claim indignantly that I am independent. They can make me happy, or they can make me sad. Chuck the ones that make you sad, because on a cold day, a hurtful relationship can seem so much worst. Surround yourself with people that make you happy. There's no room for drama in November.

Today is the first time it snowed this season, and I am preparing myself for a long winter in a small apartment, and I refuse to be sad. Winter doesn't have to be desolate just because you feel dragged down by your many layers. This will be the happiest winter of my years, and I hope the same for you.

Revival Comes With Changes

Jenny is back.

I've been gone for a long time--for about the entire, most important semester of my life. There was really no other reason other than discouragement and distraction. But I've felt my abandon blog scratch at the back of my mind since I left it, and had to return to get the itching guilt away. As a treat to it, I gave it a makeover. I changed the layout, the name [previously New Beginnings and New Experiences], and ditched the strict schedule.

Lots has happened since I've been absent. My life has been going down a perfect road since the first day of school. It's been [almost] everything I could ask for in starting my new life. The freedom I've felt has been immensely liberating. For once, I don't have to answer to anybody, I don't have to follow someone else's schedule, or do what they want. I can play NPR when I want and cook what I want and clean when I feel like it [which is about everyday, but still...]. Maybe I'm not exactly an adult yet, but I have felt like it. Everyday in this apartment has been a blissful reenactment of adult life from a child.

For once in my life, I have become secure and happy with who I am, not who I want to be. I no longer feel the need to lie or exaggerate about my life in order to "sound cool". I've realized that the best way to be cool is to be yourself. It just took me since kindergarten to figure that out. And now, I go home with no regrets and tons more friends.

And speaking of friends, I have made one true, invaluable friend. I have been craving the company of another girl like me for a year now. I felt antsy about it all summer, and most of the time dreamed about moving to Buffalo just so I can have options of people. She's everything I could ask for in a friend, and there isn't a single requirement I had for a friend that she doesn't meet. For once, I feel that not only does somebody understand me, but feels the same way I do. I understand that a lot of my readers can't understand this, especially because I could never be called a "loner" in high school. I definitely always had people to talk to and call "friend", but never anybody that made me feel complete the way a best friend could make you feel.

I have learned a lot of things about school too. I understand that community college is really not that much, but I will admit that it's been a good transition between high school and university. I learned that my charm doesn't work on college professors for starters. I also learned that nobody wants to break down how colleges work for you, that they really just leave you to figure it out. And trust me, if I knew, I would explain it, but there's just seriously some piece of vital information that's missing that could be the connecting piece. Community college is really an expensive high school, which can piss me off a lot of times, but at this point in my life, I know that it's a lot easier than taking on a lot of difficult classes. Slow and steady wins the race even if I want to take out at a sprint.

I haven't written much, even off of my blog this entire time. I found myself too high strung to sit down and write anything of substance that had length. So I started focusing a lot on my journal. I changed my journal style, and decided to keep my journal closer to myself than I ever have before. Anything that needs to be written down, and at any time, will go in there. Even if it's a note to "Study your math BITCH!" studiously colored in during math class.

Sometimes, I am afraid of the world, and want to hide. Sometimes, I nap too often and procrastinate too much. Sometimes I feel as if I'm doing too much, and other times I feel as if I'm doing too little. But for once, I'm happy about it, because it's my choice. I live the way I want to. And I am proud to say that I live with more ethics and morals today than I did when I was living with my parents, and even with my grandparents. I am proud to say that I am turning into the woman I want to be. And even if I leave tomorrow, I will carry this experience with me forever.

And with this blog, I close out the summer portion of my blog about New Beginnings and New Experiences and bring you a dream full of dreams, and schemes, and hopefully the realities I make of these. I hope you continue to read and continue to enjoy. I also hope that you comment, whether it's here or on facebook, to tell me what you thought of my entries, not because I want an ego stroke, but because I actually want to hear what you have to say.

And with that, I am going to PicDrop you with some of my favorites from this semester.