Pretty stuff seen in the US

SF beauty
SF beauty
Target cushion - I want
Target cushion – I want
This was a window display, too cute to pass without a photo
This was a window display, too cute to pass without a photo
Toothpick art
Toothpick art
What a gorgeous day for a long walk
What a gorgeous day for a long walk
Salt & Shake bathroom - cool no? A former film theatre I think
Salt & Shake bathroom – cool no? A former film theatre I think
Schoolhouse Electric - a failed bus trip missed it on the outbound. But well worth the effort
Schoolhouse Electric – a failed bus trip missed it on the outbound. But well worth the effort
I'll take that all thanks!
I’ll take that all thanks!
I'd like the globe for a certain birthday party
I’d like the globe for a certain birthday party
Too cute... my terrarium has died :(
Too cute… my terrarium has died 🙁

You can buy this?

Surely these products don’t sell…

Well at least they make the healthy stuff look appealing
Well at least they make the healthy stuff look appealing
I didn't have any the first visit... the second visit, I wasn't so strong
I didn’t have any the first visit… the second visit, I wasn’t so strong
Who knew there were this many flavours.
Who knew there were this many flavours.
You can't buy crabs in our deli
You can’t buy crabs in our deli
This is what I did for Val Day last year!
This is what I did for Val Day last year!
Oh my, any wonder I made it back alive
Oh my, any wonder I made it back alive
Mmmm
Mmmm
Yes, I'd like those too
Yes, I’d like those too
US 2015 579
Never seen an ice cream version of these

 

WHAT THE? But you know, I wanted to try them.
WHAT THE? But you know, I wanted to try them.
The choice!?!?
The choice!?!?
I want one - these are in grocery stores
I want one – these are in grocery stores
We seldom even find normal pretzels in Australia, but then all these choices!
We seldom even find normal pretzels in Australia, but then all these choices!
So little, so sweet
So little, so sweet
What the... it's a thing, I found out
What the… it’s a thing, I found out
I want these!
I want these!
Cute... though I believe out of season...
Cute… though I believe out of season…
Equal opportunities cake makers
Equal opportunities cake makers
This is obscene - and so not that practical as a catering item, as it was pitched
This is obscene – and so not that practical as a catering item, as it was pitched

US 2015 731

What is this...?
What is this…?
That is not for human consumption is it?
That is not for human consumption is it?
so much choice
so much choice
no no no
no no no

 

Sweet with savoury - this combo is too weird
Sweet with savoury – this combo is too weird
Wow... and so cheap
Wow… and so cheap
Wow, when powdered mash is just too hard
Wow, when powdered mash is just too hard
right...
right…

What’s the weirdest thing in this post for you, or the weirdest thing you’ve seen sold in a grocery store?

Selfie a day in the US of A

Day 1 - the mecca of clothes is found
Day 1 – the mecca of clothes is found
Mum attempting to selfie for me (does not work!)
Mum attempting to selfie for me (does not work!)
What are those kids doing with that sea lion
What are those kids doing with that sea lion
A place I didn't get a selfie
A place I didn’t get a selfie

US 2015 415

It's even pretty from afar
It’s even pretty from afar
I look hot with headphones right?
I look hot with headphones right?
How about sunshine at Alcatraz?
How about sunshine at Alcatraz?
A day exploring alone... armed with coffee
A day exploring alone… armed with coffee
Keeping it weird
Keeping it weird
Powell's book - a book store to end all book stores
Powell’s book – a book store to end all book stores
I am calm... now I have donuts!
I am calm… now I have donuts!
Opps I've been forgetting, on the MAX in Portland
Opps I’ve been forgetting, on the MAX in Portland

I’ve been hiding in the US

It feels like a long time since I blogged.

Mainly cause I’ve been exhausted.  Work takes it out of me.  I don’t like it.  And I even don’t like it when I get back from two weeks of recharging (or should that be refueling) holiday in the US.  I’ve had one day back, and I realise all too quickly everything that’s wrong with the culture due to the ongoing restructure. The pressures of work were spilling into my home too, and it’s nothing to say of the things on my BF’s mind – his work’s really ramped up too!

The city by the bay
The city by the bay

So it was nice to have two weeks away with my mother in the US.  We spent about 10 days in San Francisco and then four days in Portland, OR.  It was a lovely refreshing cool time, without much rain (but alas, SYDNEY! It’s bucketed down since I returned early on Australia Day – that walk to and from the station is less pleasurable with an umbrella!)

I ate everything that was

  • caramel flavoured
  • cinnamon flavoured
  • maple flavoured
  • cheesecake-y
  • weirdly flavoured, like honey lavendar or caramel with bacon
Voodoo donuts in Portland - maple bacon mmm
Voodoo donuts in Portland – maple bacon mmm

I’ve now rounded out to a whole number in weight, and it’s ghastly! Even more ghastly that in a handful of days I’ll be 30, and a week later, I’ll host a fabulous dinner party, complete with catering, gown, map themed decadence.  Reckon I can drop 10kg in two weeks? (I’m not serious, but I am eating healthier!)

Oh, and did I share? For Christmas, I got SURFING LESSONS – I’m sure I did.  Anyhow, I have to fit that in at some stage, I’m really looking forward to giving it a whirl once the sun is out…

I think I’ll do some grouping of my holidays photos, I’m thinking of posts

  • all the food
  • weird things about America (mainly text that one!)
  • you can buy that?
  • pretty stuff – houses mainly, but some art too
  • signs that I love, or just don’t get!
  • a selfie (almost) every day

As always, I’ve been reading y’all – I’m just useless at commenting when not on the laptop.  I’ll work on that!

New Caledonia

Long lazy days – in photos. Oh, long lazy days in PARADISE!

Sunset
Sunset
Day one!
Day one!
Another day, another sunset in paradise
Another day, another sunset in paradise
Beach side reading
Beach side reading
The hotel building
The hotel building
Pool side
Pool side
A cocktail is just what was needed!
A cocktail is just what was needed!
Another day over
Another day over

Gosh there are so many more sunset photos!

Holiday planning

Here’s a post I drafted last August…

I think I want to visit the US this year.  I mean, maybe.  I’ve lately felt a little ‘over travel’ so I’m not going to make myself go.  However, there are some places I love to go, and some new places I just keep reading about.

Like Portland, Oregon.  

How pretty is Portland? via
How pretty is Portland? via

So, as this blog is my memory, I shall link up to the first inspiring post, from Young House Love:

http://www.younghouselove.com/2012/03/this-land-is-portland/

Then there was a much more recent post, again all about food, here:

http://glutenfreegirl.com/2013/05/gluten-free-portland/

I mean I think the blogosphere is making it clear that I just MUST stop off there on my next soujourn!

I’d always swing a trip the the Big Apple, even if it’s only to do all I’ve done before – mainly just look in the shops! I could make it to the factory/make your own converse place that I missed last time?  What else?  Try and find some of the spots they filmed ‘Suits’ in – that’s the cheapest thrill ever, finding places used to film things *without* the costly tour – it works well even for lesser known shows now that the internet can help!

Yep, never seen it in real life - but now I will!
Yep, never seen it in real life – but now I will!

I’ve never been to San Francisco, so I’d like to visit (and give all Aussies seems to fly into LAX unless they are doing around the world) it should also be convenient with flights too!

The real question is how would I fill my days?  Something I always struggle with on holidays, home or abroad.  I feel like I have to make the most of the time, or the place or both, and I need a good list for that to happen.  This isn’t much of a list…  HELP!

And now back to real time.  My mother’s just been accepted to a writing course in San Francisco.  So, of course, I agreed to accompany her! Last night’s fortnightly family dinner, we burnt a hole in a credit card (of course, dutifully paid for with cash today) buying two tickets to SFO!

We’re spending two week in the US in January.  Keep in mind I head to Noumea, New Caledonia for a week at the end of this week (and after my Halloween party on Friday night), and then there’s a family Bali trip in September planned.  Gosh, I am lucky.  I keep thinking ‘if I had kids, I wouldn’t have the money to do this’ – so I’m making the most of every opportunity!

So – how should I fill my days? I’ll have most of my time in San Fran, and then we might fly to Seattle, and then drive to Portland.  It’s all a little unclear.  Mum’s got NO idea (or reason) to visit Portland, so I’m going to have to campaign hard there 😉

Disaster learnings from Japan

This is a L-O-N-G post but I wanted to get everything down in one place.  Prepare a cuppa!

The key reason many of us went on this tour to Japan was due to our involvement with the State Emergency Service in our state of New South Wales.  As volunteers, we help with storm and flood victims, as well as crowd control as the need arises.  Whilst the vast majority of our trip to Japan was site seeing, there were a number of occasions we turned to our (voluntary) work and interests.

Our first exposure to disasters in Japan was through our Sister City program, between Bankstown council and Suita City outside of Osaka in Japan.  This city council arranged for two days of talks and activities, which included visiting a local fire and paramedic station, travelling to Kobe to see the museum there (more later) and many talks and slides from a number of different organisations involved with disaster response.  By and large, Japan has a very formal and paid work force involved with disaster assistance.  That being said, there’s also a very large again population that seem engaged in a number of voluntary capacities in day to day life (guides at sites and museums) as well as in times of crisis.

Kode museum
Kobe museum

In Kobe, where there was an earthquake in 1995 (known as the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake) there is the Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution.  This modern glass water front building offers a number of museum exhibits as well as auditoriums that show the effects of the 1995 earthquake, with footage taken from about the city.  It was the first time I felt unsettled and chose to look at the ground than continue to see the images of damaged buildings.  I have a strong interest in human disasters (such as the Holocaust) and this is the first time I remember being so moved by something that I can no longer watch.  There was no blood or gore, but my empathy meter was on overdrive, further hindered by not being able to rationalise this sort of event.  It’s natural, and it could and does happen regularly in Japan – where I was.  There’s no one to blame – there’s only preparations that can be made.

Some of the tour group with a guide in Osaka
Some of the tour group with a guide in Osaka

The Kobe earthquake, as I know it better, marks as a great learning point for Japan.  Our guide was clearly impacted by the earthquake, and outlined a number of learnings that came away from it.  “Back then” there was very little in the way of formal reimbursement for the loses suffered, now Japan offers up to 3 million yen per person.  After such an event, people are moved in to temporary housing (which we got to briefly see ‘up north’).  In Kobe, people were assigned homes based on a lottery system, however the guide says that people have learnt that this breaks down existing communities.  He also mentioned that the average stay is 6 months, but the longest stay was 5 years! Can you imagine that?  And that the temporary housing took 3 months to establish.  So where did people take refuge until then?

Interestingly to me, the whole disaster response movement is centered around schools.  When I thought about it, it seemed logical! They are managed by the same government bodies that assist with disasters (the prefecture level, I think, but in Australia, it’d be the state, which also works nicely).  We learnt from our talks at Suita City Hall that schools contain locked sheds full of materials suitable for search and rescue, as well as temporary needs.  So in the event of an earthquake, people head to school halls, and came out in school halls.  Only the Japanese could make this seem so orderly – they still take off their shoes before entering their patch of ground for sleeping!

Tokyu Hands, a department store with stocks for disasters
Tokyu Hands, a department store with stocks for disasters

How did Kobe rebuild?  In many cases, apartment blocks attempt to rebuild a 7 storey building into 10 storeys, to help finance the build by selling to more people.  Obviously this strategy works in earthquake prone areas, but in Takata (north of Fukushima prefecture) the issues with flooding and tsunamis don’t make the solutions as simple.  Nonetheless, this rebuilding takes time, and people do move away.  As a result, shops suffer and close too.

What to do in an earthquake?  We learnt that after a certain year (maybe 1991?) all buildings have been made to earthquake standards, including glass that doesn’t shatter as dangerously.  The advice is to move above the third storey of concrete buildings that are strong enough.  We also saw signage used to denote a ‘safe place’ to evacuate to in the event of an earthquake or tsunami.  Japan is flush with underground shopping malls and countless subways lines (private and publicly owned), which of course are at serious risk of tsunami flooding.  Actually we went in a simulated earthquake ‘lift’ (elevator) which pretended to be in a shopping centre with access to the basement floors.

If I could have bought a version of this...
If I could have bought a version of this…

Whilst in Kobe, we watched a video on the impacts of the 2011 tsunami, and saw the township we would visit later in the trip (though at the time I didn’t know this!).  My notes immediately after the video presentation, showing three years since the tsunami, had me wondering if it was even ‘worth’ rebuilding.  After three years, most things were just flattened, with the debris all cleared, and I know now, a great many building flattened, despite surviving.

I also learnt about liquification, which happens as part of an earthquake, where underground water and sand based soils mix, and water often rises to the surface.  If homes and buildings don’t have sufficiently deep foundations or ‘stilts’ they risk being destroyed by the earth’s movements.  There’s some great (kid friendly) examples of how this happens in most of the museums we went to!

According to myths, this fish causes tsunamis
According to myths, this fish causes tsunamis

It seems the greatest level of education about natural disasters is aimed at children, with most museums we went to (one in Kobe, one in Kyoto and one in Tokyo) having a strong school based focus.  To think there’s a mascot for the tsunami centre in Kyoto!  Seriously – only in Japan!

Osaka tsunami museum mascot!?
Osaka tsunami museum mascot!?

After every earthquake, the government is obliged within three minutes to release a tsunami warning, which includes the suspected ‘height’ of the wave.  In the case of the tsunami in 2011, the models didn’t accommodate magnitude 8 or 9 earthquakes, and therefore predictions were woefully low.  As an engineer, I didn’t buy into the ‘they should have known’ or ‘they should have told us’.  As I discussed with S&A (my mates on the trip), firstly magnitude is a logarithmic scale – it gets bigger fast!  I can totally see which ever bean counters ignoring the possibility of the wave heights with a high magnitude quake being of a level so devastating they couldn’t imagine.  If someone told you a 15m wave was coming, when in recorded history there’d never been a wave this high, then I can imagine the public’s response could have been even more lacklustre.  In the 2011 case, the initial reports were for a 3m wave, later upgraded to 6m, in any case, there was a 5m sea wall, so many people felt that the impacts of the tsunami would be minimal.  It goes without saying the level of devastation that was caused when the true wave came.

Tokyo's museum, but also Control Room for disasters
Tokyo’s museum, but also Control Room for disasters

Whilst in Suita City, we were given a glossy 45 page A4 booklet all about disaster preparation, in English.  Whilst some of the tour ‘wished there was more said and done about natural disasters for tourists’, I thought it was amazing to have this (evidently) costly publication in English, as undoubtedly it’d be in other languages.  Japan, unlike much of the world I’ve travelled to, doesn’t often ‘worry’ about languages of others.  If anything, there’s sometimes Korean, Chinese or English, but even still, many products don’t feel the need to carry any translations (I suppose just like Australia!).

 

Barriers for the water in Osaka
Model of barriers for the water in Osaka

In the event of a natural disaster, there’s a fantastic voicemail system, where you can use a pay phone to leave a message attached to your landline phone.  That way, other people can ring the number and check if other people from ‘home’ have left a message.  I’ve never heard of a system like this, and it just BLEW me away to have this organised.  In Tokyo, we saw a short animation of a disaster, and saw the kids and the parents using this system too!  Even more surprisingly was in a super technical nation, the public pay phone lines are given priority coverage after a disaster.  And yep, we saw payphones all over – much more so than in Australia now.

Phone in a subway - at wheelchair height!
Phone in a subway – at wheelchair height!

In the course of our travels, I noticed little preparedness measures taken.  Exit signage was often on the floor, or knee height in the wall – made sense to me, as you often evacuate on your knees if there’s smoke.  Makes the ceiling and doorway mounted ones in Australia seem nonsensical (though these also existed in parts of Japan).  Every hotel room we stayed in had a torch mounted to the wall.  Not once did I see a torch missing – so tourists are honest (or torches values are decreasing in the smart phone era?)

One example of stuff
One example of stuff

All the museums covered the need for three days (72 hours) supply of food and water.  In Tokyo, there was a collection of different ‘packs’ available around the world.  The smartest (in my opinion) formed the stuffing of a teddy bear (which may have also had backpack straps).  As a souvenir of our time in Suita City, we were given a high nutrition food bar (about one and a half times the size of a matchbox?) and a wind up torch – almost perfect for our purpose.

I think I’ve reached my saturation point for this post – which isn’t to say I won’t randomly realise things I’ve forgotten I wanted to document.  But here it is for now…

Does your city have an evacuation plan?  What makes you ready for a disaster?

Journal of Japan

This is a picture heavy post, where I share the photographs of my journal of travelling – it started slow but once I got into it (on the road) it got more decorative!

Should fire ruin this journal, at least I’ll have it in blog form, and you get to sticky beak!

Day 1 in Osaka
Day 1 in Osaka
Day 2 - still on about Osaka
Day 2 – still on about Osaka
Suita City
Suita City
Suita City
Suita City
Getting colourful - back in Osaka after Suita City
Getting colourful – back in Osaka after Suita City
Japan sourvenirs 012-Optimized
Golden temple in Kyoto
Japan sourvenirs 013-Optimized
Trip to see SUMO! This crane was made by J2 (on tour) with a caramel lolly wrapper
Japan sourvenirs 014-Optimized
From Kyoto and the floating temple, to the day trip to Hiroshima
Japan sourvenirs 015-Optimized
Hiroshima day trip – the water colour was painted with the water of the river in Hiroshima 🙁
Japan sourvenirs 016-Optimized
Moss garden in Kyoto in the various seasons. The cranes were from my pillow in the Ryokan, one was from our guide at Hiroshima.
Japan sourvenirs 017-Optimized
Ryokan in Kyoto…! And our menu had the Gion Festival float (bottom left) on it, WAY cheaper than any souvenirs!
Japan sourvenirs 018-Optimized
Left hand side is a trimmed fan handed out in a department store. The right is the business card of our guide in the north, showing the lonely pine tree that survived the tsunami. Top right is the lovely caramel lolly wrapper (again!)
Japan sourvenirs 019-Optimized
Day trip to Hanone to see Mt Fuji (but we didn’t) – the ticket stubs returned for recycling at the end were snaffued for my journal.
Japan sourvenirs 020-Optimized
The right hand side hides map of Japan – where I marked everywhere we went. The decoration on top is Osaka stamps that were in some guide book. Far right is my name in katakana from our Suita City day 1
Japan sourvenirs 021-Optimized
We had a week long rail pass, the green tickets are (free) seating allocations on trains. All our city based rail stuff, the tickets get taken
Japan sourvenirs 022-Optimized
Tokyo’s disaster park, and my last day in Tokyo – with shopping images. The plane stickers were a purchase in Japan too!
Japan sourvenirs 023-Optimized
The hirigana alphabet that my homestay’s cousin wrote out for me – bless her. I was trying to remember symbols that evening, by reading the paper, and pointing to a symbol and checking what sound it was.

Questions most welcome!

Souvenirs from Japan

So what did I buy in Japan? Aside from four tops/shirts for a number of multinational companies (Zara, Uni Qlo, H&M), I also bought a belt from Old Navy.  That’s all par for the course –  I have the time and the funds when on holidays to buy clothing.

Not incredibly inspiring, but all suit me
Not incredibly inspiring, but all suit me

However, I also bought

  1. Two packets of the same size of oragami paper – all in blue tones.  I plan to frame some.
  2. A fabric hand towel
  3. An offcut of fabric, and 1m of a fabric I loved – I’m considering using them between the glass and the ‘wood’ of the coffee table.
  4. Maple leaf shaped cakes from Hiroshima, with the limited edition Maple flavour!
  5. Sheets of stickers of Japanese temples, and paper shapes, to add to my travel journal (upcoming post)
Paper to be framed
Paper to be framed
100 yen - an impulse purchase
100 yen – an impulse purchase
Fabric - not even a planned purchase, a happy chance discovery!
Fabric – not even a planned purchase, a happy chance discovery!

I also spent countless money on snacks! My my my, did I try everything and then some.  I feel very unhealthy now! I enjoyed cream/custard filled puffs (three times), small pancakes packages with maple jelly and butter, caramel pop corn, pizza flavoured chips (crisps for Laura ;), strawberry yoghurt drink, little brownie bites, pineapple ring icecream, mango ice block (twice!), alcoholic lemon flavoured icey drink… There was plenty more, I assure you… these are what I remember! That’s right – rice balls (really triangular shaped), though the last one I had, well I was pretty sure it was my LAST one, I got a little over them.

I also brought home a sake bottle, as the glass was blue! It’s now sharing the trolley with a Bombay Sapphire mini bottle. Classy huh?

What’s your favourite of my souvenirs?  Is there something you ‘always’ collect as a souvenir when travelling?

Baths, kimonos and eating with my homestay in Japan

Another email rebadged as a post… this is my first evening with my home stay family – a mum and dad, and a son and daughter, both around 18 years old

So after another hot and sweaty day we went to the baths. Totally get nuddy baths! Insane! Obviously girls and boys are seperate but it’s in a mall with bowling, restaurants, 100yen shop. There’s inside baths and open air ones. Crazy. All ages too! Bulk shampoo and conditioner impressed my zero waste heart.  And little did I know this introduction would be instrumental to others on my trip, when we later went to other baths.  There’s so much etiquette involved!

The entry to the (photography forbidden) baths
The entry to the (photography forbidden) baths
My host family after the baths
My host family after the baths
This made it hard for those with tattoos, thankfully I have none (though the homestay mother never asked)
This made it hard for those with tattoos, thankfully I have none (though the homestay mother never asked)
We went to a traditional tea ceremony during the day, bitter stuff but they give you a sweet pastry thing to have with it. You’re meant to sit with your feet under you bum but we all struggled!! After that three if us got to wear the kimono which was amusing cause none of us were the correct dimensions!! My host sister wears a kimono as a uniform at the restaurant she works at – she’s 18.
Green tea and yummy sweet
Green tea and yummy sweet
The traditional old wooden tea house
The traditional old wooden tea house
Geishas in the garden
Geishas in the garden
One size fits most non westerns...
One size fits most non westerns…
Looking back ;)
Looking back 😉
Not a pool - this was where water was stored to quell any fire in the historic wooden building
Not a pool – this was where water was stored to quell any fire in the historic wooden building
After my host family picking me up we did grocery shopping. Japan are more into milk and sweet & savory pastries than I would gave expected. Meat and most everything is packaged in tiny portions, it’s amazing. Peaches are in protective foam you sometimes get spirit bottles in and plastic wrapped. Conversely you pay for plastic bags at the grocery store but not at convenience stores?! If you say no to a plastic bag you get tape put over the bar code, even in convenience store. They are big into tidiness, the 100yen shop has a bucket on the counter for your unwanted docket. Leaving the airport, there’s a bin especially for printed baggage tags. Every vending machine is flanked by bins too!
Expensive peaches (cause of the labour to wrap them?)
Expensive peaches (cause of the labour to wrap them?)
Meat in the non family size (at least no Aussie family!)
Meat in the non family size (at least no Aussie family!)
Being picked up by my homestay mum and sister
Being picked up by my homestay mum and sister
This tag stops a fdee for plastic bags being added to grocery purchases
This tag stops a free for plastic bags being added to grocery purchases
Prices seem quite reasonable, $90 for five people to have dinner, dad had beer, then baths and some drinks after. I’d love to know what the conversion rates have been in the past!
Japanese table, with bare feet - we left them in lockers?!
Japanese table, with bare feet – we left them in lockers?!
————————-

Slept well though it was hot! I slept on a futon mattress which is more like sleeping in a doona. Had both a fan and air con, but I notice the living room air con is on 27c!!

Japanese style sleeping
Japanese style sleeping
The lantern in my room at my homestay
The lantern in my room at my homestay
This morning I visited the local shrine with the mum, where you wash your left then right hand. Then you ring the bell and pray, after clapping your hands twice. You pay 5yen, which has a hole in it and there is some homophone about seeing friends through the hole. Anyhow you throw this in a slotted container before bell ringing.
Me and the shrine
Me and the shrine
Entry to the shrine
Entry to the shrine
Then we came home to b’fast. There was a salad with cabbage, one cherry tomato and a mini sausage. Then there was a fried egg. Then yoghurt with a fruit sauce an crunchy cereal with dried strawberries. Then I had the bread/pastry I chose yesterday which was maple flavoured. Then there were angel cheeks which are this soft sweet taco with whipped light cream. With iced coffee, which you buy bottled black and add cream or milk. Interestingly full fat milk is more expensive than lower fat milk. An beer is CHEAP, and you can buy single cans at the grocery store.  Suita, the city we’re in outside of Osaka is where the Asahi beer is made, we walked past the factory.
Breakfast at my homestay
Breakfast at my homestay
Another day reported!