Fabulous weekend

I'm looking out the window to see blue skies today.What a welcome sight after weeks of rain and gloom. Today I plan to go bike riding as I want to take advantage of the weather.

Last weekend was a blast! My weekend started Friday night at the Hilton Hotel in Maihama. The weather was cloudy so I didn't get a chance to use the pool. I got the park view this time and I must say I prefer the ocean view. Park view is more like parking lot view in my opinion and I will, from now on, request ocean view at this hotel. I got checked in around 5pm and my boyfriend met me at 7pm. We rode the monorail to Disney Sea where they were having a new show that started today. It's called Bonfire and is based on Japanese summer dance festivals. It was one of the best shows and we loved it! In fact we're going back on Sunday!

We got back to the hotel around 10pm and went to the bar for a drink before going to bed.

The next morning, my boyfriend had to leave for work very early so I stayed in bed until my friend arrived so that we could have lunch together. Then we spent some time at IKSPIARI. I swear, there is nothing to do at this mall. They really need better shops because I find myself getting bored here.

I had to get back home to prepare for a party I had to go to. So I got on the train, voted for our new governor and took a shower at home before taking a cab to the party place. I had a blast and met some really fun people. I ended up getting plastered as usual, went to a karaoke place for an hour before heading home.

A good slice of cheesecake

There's this cafe that I frequent in my neighborhood and they're famous for their cheesecake. However it's not that great and I never order it. So on this day, since I was with a friend who wanted to eat dessert, I wanted to try out this cafe I always wanted to try.

The cafe was very retro and the owners were an old couple as were all of the customers. I really liked the atmosphere of the cafe and they had cheesecake! So we ordered a slice each and I'm happy to say we were pleasantly surprised! This was one of the best cheesecakes I had here in Japan! Yummmmmm!!!!! It was served with a slice of kiwi and drizzled with honey. What a beautiful combination!

I will definitely come here again maybe this weekend! The coffee was just so-so and we would have to go to the other cafe for coffee. But for cheesecake, this is the place to go.

IKEA

One of my favorite things to do on the weekends these days is to spend a day at IKEA. It's a huge interior shop from Scandinavia with very reasonable priced furniture, a Scandinavian restaurant and cafe with prices to match! I had to go and buy a lamp for the smallest room in my apartment and it cost only 690yen!!! Unbelievable! One of the things I love about going here though is seeing the look on my partner's face. He loves this place and he seems happiest when we're browing the aisles. Just looking at that face puts a smile on my face.

For lunch we had the grilled tomatoes with couscous, a healthy combo. I also chose this assorted plate which had all my favorites! I couldn't resist having a glass of wine to go with my meal and I was lightly buzzed afterwards, which only served to put a skip and hop into my shopping feet.
Right after IKEA, we went to Costco and bought a couple of bottles of wine and a case of tomato soup. And yes, we are people who actually use up everything we buy!!! An entire case of soup is devoured within a month! Soup all the time you say? Not really. We just get creative and use the soup for other things such as a risotto, a light sauce to go with pasta and other things we can conjure up with our creativity.

Last week I went to renew my passport. It's hard to believe 10 years has gone by since my last one. I look so different now, especially my hair. Back then, my hair was longer, bleached a cheap brown color and fat on my cheeks. You know, it wasn't as though I was fat back then. In fact, I think I had less fat around my tummy. I guess it was baby fat or something because my face is much rounder...a feature I really disliked during those years. Now I'm much older and I am praying for some of that fat again to be injected into my face like collagen.

I got my picture taken at the passport agency and I have to tell you that my picture was not a good one. In fact, it's the ugliest picture I've ever taken for something so official. My face looks uneven, blotched and tired. My hair is a mess and I swear I look so disheveled like something out of LOST. So for the next 10 years, I have to look at that hedious picture and others would probably have to look at it too. Oh well, can't do anything about it anymore I guess.

So here I am at another Starbucks in Shinjuku. This one I like because it's really empty and lots of chairs to choose from. It's raining today...in fact raining the entire week I think. I really can't wait for summer to arrive. I not saying I welcome the sweltering heat of summer. I just can't stand the gloominess of the rainy season and having to take an umbrella with you everywhere you go.

This guy from Taiwan was supposed to meet me at 11:30am today for lunch. Well, it is now almost 12 noon and I called him only to hear from him saying he had just left. The nerve!!! Why couldn't he have called me to tell me he was going to be late? Never met this guy...just this guy from Fridae who wanted to meet for lunch. That's one demerit for this person. Now I would consider forgiving this guy if he's really gorgeous or sexy.

Okay, so I'm sitting here still waiting for his call. I swear I could have been doing something else more productive.

Desperate

I was watching Desperate Housewives last night on DVD. In fact I was so engrossed that I ended up watching four episodes. After watching TV for over 160 minutes, I felt depressed for some strange reason. Don't even ask me why because I really don't know why. I just felt sad and depressed. I think I know the reason but I don't think I'm ready to face the truth. There are major problems in my life and I have to try and fix them one by one. But i'm just not ready it seems.

My life seems out of control and just one big mess!

Universal Studios Osaka

Another week goes by and here I am blogging once again. It's been a nice and exciting week for me. On Saturday, I left for Osaka with a friend of mine. We took the highway bus to Osaka, a very long 8-hour ride. We check into the Osaka Hilton. It was a very nice hotel and I was upgraded to the deluxe room. I can't wait to make it to Gold VIP and get upgraded to an executive room. Almost there. Anyway, a light dinner with my friend and we go to sleep to look forward to a day at Universal Studios Osaka.

The highlight of the day was Hollywood Dream: The Ride! It's a roller coaster that's 4-across and your feet doesn't even touch the floor. Yeah, I know it sounds weird but it works! Your seated inside very comfortable seats and so deep back that your legs are floating in the air. Then you choose your preferred music from 5 selections. Your music starts and you are coasting around the Hollywood area in your car! Yep, that's what it feels like. Riding in a car! Wish it was a bit longer, but that's ok. I love the ride!

For lunch we went to Lombard's Landing. I always wanted to eat here and I was so happy that my friend chose this place. It's probably the best place to eat in the park and I wasn't disappointed. I just wish there were some ala carte selections instead of set menus. I started off with these country-style pates which were delicious.

Clam chowder came next and then I had the steak for the main course. Everything was perfect. You also get unlimited amounts of hot piping bread but that's too much carbs! The lunch ended with a delightful strawberry tart and coffee.

We ended up staying the entire day. I had some coffee with another friend to came to meet us at around 4pm. I was so happy to see her as I didn't see her for quite some time. She's such a nice person and I love her so much. Our bus left at 11:40pm and I was so tired that I fell asleep as soon as we boarded the comfortable buses. A very nice trip indeed.