Almost jinxless

great ski area, posh hotel, buffet meals, cozy swimming pool, and no untoward incident to the chin and other body parts - the trip was fab!

the slope.
the first day was alloted for refreshing the basic ski moves. the V thing and how to stop. not bad, i'm more confident now, but i have a feeling i'll always belong to the Beginner's slope. i may become better and better, in the vague future, but i don't think i'll ever move up to the Intermediate course, much more the Expert trail which i will never even dream of trying, even in the next life. i wanted to take a lot of photos but my hands have a very low tolerance to the cold. if i remove my gloves my fingers will turn purple-lish in less than a minute. too bad they didn't have lift service at night, i wanted to try night skiing. the second day could have been so much fun. tried to practice a little more advanced moves. hehe. but it was so cold, there was that strong wind passing through the slope with snow particles that hurts if they get into the eyes (there must be an english term to that, but i dunno what). we actually stopped for a break because our faces, hands and feet were so numb. i felt mine were ready to fall of. but all in all, it was great. my favorite part was when i was up there, perched on the swingy lift, the snow softly falling, the world looking so white. there's serenity about the snowcapped peaks and the white-dotted treetops. half the time it made me think of leaping out from the seat and jump down shouting ”シャンナロウ！”　
just kidding atii hehehe !






the pool.
i really liked the swimming place, with all those lush green leafy decorations, muted lighting, interesting swimming pool shape and relaxing ambiance. (erhm.. was not actually free of charge, but we got a good discount because we stayed overnight). there's also jacuzzi, dry and wet sauna, jet bath (what's this for, btw?), and other mini-pools with varying water temperature. it's not only the pool area that's nice. also the shower room, dressing room, and of course, the locker rooms. the first we noticed were the square cabinet-looking compartments with keyholes. later we realized those were for the shoes but at first we thought those were the only lockers they have.hehe. when we found the real lockers we couldn't find our numbers. i was checking out the lockers near the entrance when a guy suddenly appeared. he was as startled as me, and then he hurriedly skittered out with a shocked face. "wtf! are we in the men's locker room?!" we ran out of the room, the guy was standing outside the door, and when he saw us laughing our faces off, he sort of laughed too and relaxed. and from that time 'till the rest of our stay at the hotel, he was like everywhere - at the lobby, the elevator, the restaurant, the pool, the big staircase - canoodling with his girlfriend. oh well, we could only chuckle. for him, we'll always be the girls who went inside the men's locker room wearing swimsuits. and for us, he'll always be the lone guy we saw inside the men's locker room. nope, didn't see any naked japanese in there, no sir.

(Wretched) Girl, Troubled

i know if i'm in trouble, even if i deny it, through my sleeping position.
i noticed that i've gone back to my curling position when sleeping , the position i used to do during my insecurity-infested teenage years. for the past few years i normally sleep flat on my back. but recently, i kinda regressed...
a lot of things have been hanging around my head lately. i've been trying to assure myself that they're no big deal, and that they will be gone in no time so i'll just have to ignore them. i wish it's that easy.

the primadonna queen has done it again. im not exactly sure what did i do to her to make her fond of making me look stupid in emails. i can't understand why does she have to put all those people in the cc anyway.
there she was, demanding some files i haven't heard about before. i was too numb to elaborate so i answered back in a simple sorry-i-dont-have-them. then she mailed back demanding i look at my archives, backups, all resources. yeah, like i have no idea what i put in my backups.
the last time she went bitchy on me i just took it a stride because i was in a good mood. but not today - when it is raining and my favorite umbrella is broken, when i have my period and my mood is oscillating, when i am still fuming over my supposedly promotion salary increase, when it is the 1 year anniversary of the stitching of my chin!! duhh!!!

Valentines

i lost weight when i went home for a 3-week vacation last december, thanks to hyperacidity and some cough.
however i gained them back, and more, when i got back to japan. i blame the poor heating in our apartment. our good old heater could only heat 1/4 of the whole unit, and its not even that warm. the dining area and kitchen are so cold that if we hang out on those spots, my roommate and i (unconsciously?) try to make up for the needed heat by gobbling whatevers - bread, hot milo, junk food, rice - oh yes, lotsa rice! its too cold outside for exercise. meaning, i don't want to walk from the train station to the sports center, where the pool is, because its damn cold.

i don't have any qualms on putting on more weight per se, but i don't like the discomfort of an expanding tummy, the way pants don't zip close all the way up.
so i finally-officially started yesterday, after two weeks of empty resolutions to "start tomorrow". i will not be hard on myself about this. my plan is to go swimming once a week, abdominal crunches every other day, no junk foods and soft drinks, and no eating after 9pm. i am proud of my success yesterday. but today, it is a little difficult.
even for a self-control semi-freak like me, it's hard to stick to diet when it's valentines day and chocolates are everywhere screaming on your face to be eaten, and you're a little mad at your boyfriend, and its your roommate's birthday and you have a delicious cake at home. not to mention you dropped by at the store yesterday for some salted peanuts.
good thing im an optimist, i'll start again "tomorrow". toink.

Realizations

on a cold winter night, me walking alone from the office to the train station, hands numb, brain frozen, and stomach rumbling - either from the icy temperature or the tensions at work - realizations sprang, like a blazing bushfire warming my momentary deadened senses.

i made a list of some that i remembered (after i got fed):

1. no matter how fast you walk (to catch the express train or for some other reason), there will always be a Japanese or a group of them who walk faster then overtake you.

2. you should be careful on what you feed your depressed roomate. both of you could end up getting fat. yes, cake is fattening (and addicting). so is ice cream.

3. when you love someone, it's normal that half the time you wan't to smack the person's bottom for being a pain in the *ss.

4. bugging an already-irritated bestfriend across the miles (and knowing that she's not here to spank you) could be amusing.

5. mushrooms (the chubby kind) sautéd in butter and garlic actually taste good.

6. i could be a superwoman if i just put my mind to it. i can do the dishes, watch the simmering stew, gossip with the roommate, and YM chat (without straying off the conversations), all at the same time. had i been sitting, i could still do some butt-crunches.

7. it is okay to let the monster in you out once in a while.

Dessert!

"In fairy tales, the princesses kiss the frogs, and the frogs become princes. In real life, the princesses kiss the princes, and the princes turn into frogs."

When bad turns to worse, let's eat dessert. Not that I'm having a bad time now, I just feel like eating dessert. (^o^)