Singaw

Posted on October 20, 2011 by Marjorie

We have a project party tomorrow and I wanted to bail out of it. Partly because I want to walk home together with hubs. And equally because I have singaw. And it hurts like crazy so much so that I haven’t eaten properly the last two days and I haven’t been talking too much neither. So imagine going to a party where there’s lots of eating and talking to happen. Torture.

Singaw is the Filipino term for those blisters inside your mouth or tongue. Bisaya call it kainit.

Earlier in the evening, when I still didn’t know what is the English term for singaw, I was telling hubs that I’d tell my boss my reason on not joining the party by sticking out my tongue and showing him the blister. Hubby doubled over and went red laughing. I just love making him laugh.

As I looked over the Internet though on the English for singaw, I found THIS article. It was my turn to double over with laughter.

With THAT article though, I learned that the official English term is cold sore or canker sore. Or better yet I’ll just say kounaien which is the Japanese term for this bothersome affliction.

Just came across THIS article. And am thankful we live in Japan. They do have a medicine for it. Hurray!

Am still not decided though whether to go to the party. Oh singaw, please be away.

and we have the voucher

Posted on October 17, 2011 by Marjorie

A week ago, I talked about the email we received from the staff of Hotel Gold, our favorite hotel during our recent Eastern Europe trip. Click here for our feature on the hotel.

When we got home this evening, we found this squeezed inside our mailbox. Yey!! Had to cover some details for privacy purposes. 🙂

on cake toppers and kokeshi dolls

Posted on October 16, 2011 by Marjorie

Our wedding cake toppers weren’t really the type that could last a long-distance flight, much less last months after the wedding. Yet hubs was so patient in putting the pieces back together, thinking of a better glue that would last longer than the last one he used. And every time he fixes the cake dolls, something in my chest twitches, my eyes burn a bit, and I am reminded of the many reasons why I married this man.

Hence when I saw Jen’s post in w@w about her kokeshi dolls, I didn’t hesitate to contact Khristine, the kokeshi dolls designer, to have our personalized kokeshi dolls, as my anniversary gift to hubby. By personalized, we mean the dolls will be designed to look like us, wearing clothes that looked like the gown and barong we wore during the wedding.

Turned out it was a great decision. For at least two major reasons. One, I didn’t just get to know a great supplier, I also earned a new friend who’s so amazingly creative. Secondly, I made hubby emotional with the surprise I had for him; he was full of questions on how I made it possible, especially since his doll look a lot like him. Happy me.

Couldn’t count anymore the number of email exchanges Khristine and I had. Being an OC myself, I appreciated her being a stickler for detail as I sent her a number of pictures of me and atsushi and of what we wore during the wedding. Seeing her creations, you’ll understand why. Such detail! Ours were no less different.

Khristine is also one really thoughtful person. A colleague of mine has been very nice to carry the dolls from Manila to Japan. Khristine was so thoughtful in that she left my colleague a note of thanks for carrying the dolls and gave Kristine (my colleague) a cute pair of guy and girl earrings. 🙂

Since the dolls are due to travel some long distance, Khristine promised she’ll pack the dolls in such a way that they’ll still be intact even after a long flight and that Kristine,my colleague, will not have difficulty in carrying the dolls. True to her promise, the dolls were well packed indeed.

The dolls’ bed. And yes, I also have my cute boy and girl earrings. 🙂

The bride aka Marj.

The groom aka atsushi.

I giggle whenever I look at the doll. He looks so very atsushi!

Told Khristine as well about our passions – music and books. She then thoughtfully included it in her package for us. The guitar has real strings!

And the books has both front and back covers.

Khristine also added in the speaker hubs always carry with him whenever he travels.

Dolls are now happily tucked in one of the shelves in the dining room.

Khristine promised she’ll give us something extra special as well. And indeed she gave us something really special. Bookmarks. With our dolls in it. Mind you the photography was really good! We almost hesitated to use them lest we loose them. But then that would defeat the purpose of Khristine giving us the bookmark and so use them, we did.

Thank you SO MUCH Khristine! 🙂 I think you’ll be hearing more from me. 🙂

Do visit her site.

home interior inspiration board – World Porters edition

Posted on October 16, 2011 by Marjorie

We’re currently lounging under this incredibly blue early autumn sky, the landmark towering over us and the wind ruffling our hair. There’s a couple of unknown nationality near us, making out, in plain sight; enjoying just as everyone else is enjoying this perfectly great weather.

We just scoured the 4th floor of the World Porters, still visible from the hill we’re currently on, sipping our coffee, sitting on the grass.

The wife and homemaker part of me got excited as we looked around the whole floor, concocting up home furnishing preferences as we go.

I realize though that I have to at least get started with an inspiration board or at least a collection of a motley of the designs that I liked so that later on, I/we can decide on the final theme of our home. Because currently, there doesn’t seem to be a theme that’s trending when it comes to my preference on home furnishing. Some days I like it rustic. Some days I like it Asian. Some days I like it elegant. Some days I like it modern art deco.

So it’s best to gather them all first and then decide later on when it’s time to decide.

Clocks. I love these quirky ones.

Loved this corner set.

But Hubs says it’s too big for the two of us, for now. This one though is just perfect for the tatami room, for the two of us.

I’m not one for elaborate crystal chandeliers. I prefer these.

Mirrors!

So liked this pretty throw pillow.

As well as this dainty bed cover.

Wall hooks.

These fashionable pots caught hubby’s eye of course.

And and! I just love this center table.

All of these inside a house with bricks of these shades.

Utopia? We dearly hope not.

And oh let’s not forget the carpets.

Fell in love the first time I saw the second carpet above in that I was ecstatic when there was a smaller version of it, on sale at 1980yen! Just perfect by our front door.

Made another purchase as well, in Village Vanguard, located on the 3rd floor. Garbage are collected here on Japan on a certain schedule. For our area, burnables and perishables are on Monday and Friday, PET bottles and glass on Tuesday, etc etc (yes, segregation is the word). Hence we need to store the perishable garbage in a closed compartment to keep the stink from contaminating the house. Problem is, your perishables garbage bin (yes, because of segregation you end up having a number of bins) would be forever stinky and you have to wash it every now and then. But it’s difficult for me to do that. When I saw this, my problem was solved. It has a cover and yet your garbage goes directly to the garbage bag hence there’s no container that’s forever stinky.

Can’t wait to set these up when we get home!!! But first, badminton. 🙂

the dolls we brought home from Eastern Europe

Posted on October 16, 2011 by Marjorie

I’m a doll collector. Wanted to be one ever since I was six when my parents (or was it my grandmother?) bought me a very pretty and dainty Filipina porcelain doll wearing the Philippine national costume. Wanted to be one ever since I was six when I played with my cheap but really cute United Nations dolls – they were dolls wearing different national costumes (I wonder what happened to them….). And as it happens, when you grow old, you forget about your childhood dreams. Until something reminds you of them.

I worked in a Japanese company hence it was but natural that we have displays of Japanese dolls in the visitors lounge in the office. Seeing the dolls, there came remembrance. One of my best friends, Dhonna gave me my first doll, an omiyage (present) after her first assignment from Japan. And it went rolling from then on. Whenever I travel, I buy the doll of that country. Friends have been very generous as well with their gifts in that whenever they travel to some countries, they also think of me and my collection and buy me a doll. Most of my collection are in my parents’ home in Davao now. With the exception of this exquisite Belgian porcelain lady which my manager in my previous company thoughtfully asked her brother to buy for me. I had it with me because it was the latest doll that was given to me and I wasn’t able to bring her to Davao before I moved to Japan. Customs check ruined her hair and hat and necklace though. 🙁 Seeing her not in her perfect state just breaks my heart. 🙁 Sorry, she’s surrounded by neighbors who can’t be posted here hence I can only share her bust. 🙂

It was but natural therefore for us to buy dolls during our recent trip to Eastern Europe. I’m having regrets now though that I didn’t buy a porcelain one. Albeit I’m still mighty happy with these new addition to our collection.

Magnet couple dolls we bought in Vienna.

Rustic mother and daughter doll we bought in Cesky Krumlov. Rustic – very Bohemian.

And of course, a marionette that we bought in Prague. It was only during this travel that I learned marionettes originated in Czechoslovakia. It took me a long time to decide which marionette to buy though because most of the original design ones are scary looking and reminds me of witches. Hence I ended up buying this wooden Czech boy.

Friends, hope you remember me during your travels. 🙂

Watanabe-san and our new umbrella stand

Posted on October 16, 2011 by Marjorie

We’ve been forever thinking of buying an umbrella stand. Finally bought one earlier at our neighborhood furniture shop, Watanabe Furniture. Only at 1980yen.

Watanabe Furniture is our friendly neighborhood furniture shop that sells affordable made-to-order furnitures. You can also buy their displays at cheaper cost than the made-to-order one.

We bought most of our furnitures there last March and May in that we’re already somewhat friends with the kind gentleman owner. And he was pretty generous with his discounts to us! Our bed frames were originally at almost 50k but we ended up paying only around 20k yen. We were so baffled at how can this be possible yet we don’t want to be so rude as to refuse Watanabe-san’s generosity. Hence we can only but thank him profusely.

It’s been a while since we were in the shop hence we exchanged “o genki desu kas” earlier when we made our purchase. And with a big smile, he gave us this whilst saying “omiyage” which means “pasalubong” in Filipino. Once again, Watanabe-san had been generous to us.

It was only at home though when we noticed what it was made of and where it came from. It was a capiz-made trinket from Philippines.

No wonder he had such a big smile when he gave it to us. Too bad we didn’t notice it when we were still in his shop. We could have had talked about his trip to Philippines (he knows I’m from Philippines). Anyways, we can talk about it next time we drop by his store. Thank you Watanabe-san! 🙂

On Chocolate Hill

A chocolatey journey, with Yui!

Singaw

and we have the voucher

on cake toppers and kokeshi dolls

home interior inspiration board – World Porters edition

the dolls we brought home from Eastern Europe

Watanabe-san and our new umbrella stand