Monday, March 29, 2010
Cats
Well we have settled on Sachi (さち) as the cat's name. It is supposed to mean "happiness, good luck, fortune" - what she should be since we adopted her and gave her a home. She certainly purrs loudly and bounces around the apartment - when she is not sleeping right underneath the blanket on the bed or investigating each and ever cupboard.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Weekend
Ok, so the car is in the garage (parking space). We'll have to try and take some video of the parking system. For the moment, let me explain that it has six cars per vertical stack. In our bay there are two rows, each with four vertical stacks. Our space is in the back row (there might be a car parked in front of us). To get the car out or put it away, we have to put our key in, push buttons to tell the machine which space we want to use, and then wait while it rearranges the cars. Then the gate opens and we drive in (or out). And it's narrow - we have about 3 inches more space in the car park than the width of the car. Do the maths...
And today we collected a cat. A rescue case, about 4 months old. She is currently wandering from room to room looking around and deciding whether she likes the place. She needs a name - we are happy to take suggestions, but they must be able to pass the Daryl-Craig test.
And today we collected a cat. A rescue case, about 4 months old. She is currently wandering from room to room looking around and deciding whether she likes the place. She needs a name - we are happy to take suggestions, but they must be able to pass the Daryl-Craig test.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
More news
Well more news. We have a car (I think). I need to go back to the shop tomorrow, and in theory should drive away in a car. After almost 4 weeks of talking to them, both negotiating price and then arguing finance and contracts, it is hopefully finished. I will let you know how it goes tomorrow.
I still need to sort the car insurance. 3rd party is mandatory and arranged as part of the purchase. But I need to separately sort out comprehensive cover. That is tomorrow's challenge. I have been looking online and will need help. Naturally, the insurance websites only provide Japanese pages, no English. Hmmmm.
And then I need to move on to get a Japanese license - apparently just a bunch of paperwork, but I somehow need to prove that I lived in NZ for a minimum of 3 months after I got my license. Exactly how am I supposed to do that when I got it when I was 15 years old!
I still need to sort the car insurance. 3rd party is mandatory and arranged as part of the purchase. But I need to separately sort out comprehensive cover. That is tomorrow's challenge. I have been looking online and will need help. Naturally, the insurance websites only provide Japanese pages, no English. Hmmmm.
And then I need to move on to get a Japanese license - apparently just a bunch of paperwork, but I somehow need to prove that I lived in NZ for a minimum of 3 months after I got my license. Exactly how am I supposed to do that when I got it when I was 15 years old!
Friday, March 12, 2010
Revealed - the best ever technique for ensuring husbands put down the toilet seat!
It is very simple....
1. Move to Japan
2. Ensure said husband is responsible for paying the power bill and has a healthy respect for how expensive electricity is here (it may be necessary to run the air conditioner long and hard for a week or two to ensure the first bill is very high)
3. Invest in a "Washlet" heated toilet seat (For those who need visuals....http://www.totousa.com/default.aspx?sectID=3)
Said husband is guaranteed to be soooo concerned about the cost of heating the whole toilet room via the heated toilet seat that you will find the lid is routinely put back down to 'conserve power'!
At last - it has taken me almost 16 years.... but I finally have a tidy bathroom :-)
Have a good day...
Sonia
PS Andrew says he actually puts the seat down so that it is easier to use the tap on the top of the toilet.... but I am just not buying that line!
Toilet with integrated hand basin...another quirk of Japan! This picture comes from Australia, but you get the idea http://www.savewater.com.au/products/Caroma_Profile_Toilet_Suite_with_Integrated_Hand_Basin
1. Move to Japan
2. Ensure said husband is responsible for paying the power bill and has a healthy respect for how expensive electricity is here (it may be necessary to run the air conditioner long and hard for a week or two to ensure the first bill is very high)
3. Invest in a "Washlet" heated toilet seat (For those who need visuals....http://www.totousa.com/default.aspx?sectID=3)
Said husband is guaranteed to be soooo concerned about the cost of heating the whole toilet room via the heated toilet seat that you will find the lid is routinely put back down to 'conserve power'!
At last - it has taken me almost 16 years.... but I finally have a tidy bathroom :-)
Have a good day...
Sonia
PS Andrew says he actually puts the seat down so that it is easier to use the tap on the top of the toilet.... but I am just not buying that line!
Toilet with integrated hand basin...another quirk of Japan! This picture comes from Australia, but you get the idea http://www.savewater.com.au/products/Caroma_Profile_Toilet_Suite_with_Integrated_Hand_Basin
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
More news
Tonight on the way home from work, it snowed again. It was raining, and next minute there is snow mixed in. The umbrella made a valiant effort to shelter me from the worst, but it is on the small side. For some reason, the temperature has dropped again. After a couple of warmer days, summer has retreated and given ground to winter.
We've been working our way through the process of buying a car, and after getting frustrated with the dealer on the weekend, I "suggested" that he needed to update the papers and bring them to the office. He is a young guy (well about 10 years younger than I am), so he obeyed. With the help of my boss's secretary we completed the papers and should (I hope) get the car in about 7-10 days. The delay is due to the legal side of parking spaces. Because space is (apparently) at a premium, you cannot buy a car until you have a space in which to park it. And because space is (apparently) at a premium (did I mention that?) the spaces are of varying sizes. So it is necessary for the police to divert precious manpower to inspecting parking spaces and certifying that your car will fit into the space. This process can take (apparently) 3-4 days. Clearly there are many car parking spaces to inspect. And then once they have the stamped parking certificate (I had to get this from the apartment company and give to the dealer, who then goes to the police), the dealer can continue with the transfer of ownership. Another day or two. Sigh... these guys have pointless bureaucracy down to a fine art. Strangely, you can go out and buy a motorbike without having a motorbike park. So space cannot be that much of an issue (and certainly there is lots of space where we live). I guess we justify the existence of numerous police and civil servants.
Oh, and we cooked a cheesecake last night. The oven is working, the mixer and blender also - when plugged in to the new transformer that was obtained on Sunday. So mostly getting sorted now. And Sonia has a nice new pink mobile phone - she is fitting in with the trendy young things around Tokyo (well sort of).
We've been working our way through the process of buying a car, and after getting frustrated with the dealer on the weekend, I "suggested" that he needed to update the papers and bring them to the office. He is a young guy (well about 10 years younger than I am), so he obeyed. With the help of my boss's secretary we completed the papers and should (I hope) get the car in about 7-10 days. The delay is due to the legal side of parking spaces. Because space is (apparently) at a premium, you cannot buy a car until you have a space in which to park it. And because space is (apparently) at a premium (did I mention that?) the spaces are of varying sizes. So it is necessary for the police to divert precious manpower to inspecting parking spaces and certifying that your car will fit into the space. This process can take (apparently) 3-4 days. Clearly there are many car parking spaces to inspect. And then once they have the stamped parking certificate (I had to get this from the apartment company and give to the dealer, who then goes to the police), the dealer can continue with the transfer of ownership. Another day or two. Sigh... these guys have pointless bureaucracy down to a fine art. Strangely, you can go out and buy a motorbike without having a motorbike park. So space cannot be that much of an issue (and certainly there is lots of space where we live). I guess we justify the existence of numerous police and civil servants.
Oh, and we cooked a cheesecake last night. The oven is working, the mixer and blender also - when plugged in to the new transformer that was obtained on Sunday. So mostly getting sorted now. And Sonia has a nice new pink mobile phone - she is fitting in with the trendy young things around Tokyo (well sort of).
Saturday, March 06, 2010
What makes somewhere "home"?
For me, I think it ends up being able to do the ironing. Of all things.
This week was the first week that I had ironing that needed to be done, and the means to do it. The transformer (22.5 kg) is plugged in and powering the coffee machine and grinder. And the iron when needed. So this week I ironed a couple of shirts and a pile of handkerchiefs. At this point the place actually started to feel like a home.
Oh, there are still boxes around, and things that are missing (I need to get some oil or grease for the bearings on a drawer), and we are still missing curtains in a few places (Sonia has had them made in Bangkok and is slowly bringing them with her). But it did feel like home when I was standing there ironing things while watching TV (in English).
With mum and dad arriving in a few weeks, I guess I need to get things organised. The office needs to be sorted so that we can fit the blow-up mattress in there. (question - who gets to sleep on it) And I'm attempting to buy a car - which at the rate it's going might just arrive in time for when they get off the airplane at Narita. A combination of Japanese bureaucracy and language is slowing things dramatically. I'll write about this properly once I actually have the car - right now it's feeling like it may not happen.
Oh - another piece of news. I may well end up in Beirut in the near future (not permanently). Weird, huh?
This week was the first week that I had ironing that needed to be done, and the means to do it. The transformer (22.5 kg) is plugged in and powering the coffee machine and grinder. And the iron when needed. So this week I ironed a couple of shirts and a pile of handkerchiefs. At this point the place actually started to feel like a home.
Oh, there are still boxes around, and things that are missing (I need to get some oil or grease for the bearings on a drawer), and we are still missing curtains in a few places (Sonia has had them made in Bangkok and is slowly bringing them with her). But it did feel like home when I was standing there ironing things while watching TV (in English).
With mum and dad arriving in a few weeks, I guess I need to get things organised. The office needs to be sorted so that we can fit the blow-up mattress in there. (question - who gets to sleep on it) And I'm attempting to buy a car - which at the rate it's going might just arrive in time for when they get off the airplane at Narita. A combination of Japanese bureaucracy and language is slowing things dramatically. I'll write about this properly once I actually have the car - right now it's feeling like it may not happen.
Oh - another piece of news. I may well end up in Beirut in the near future (not permanently). Weird, huh?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)