2016 Goals

  I do not normally have New Year's resolutions per se but let just say these are things that I plan to accomplish. Each year I set a few goals and check back at the end of each year whether I meet them or not. Personally, setting goals helps me stay on track and do things with purposes. My key is to not set too many and they have to be realistic enough to achieve or I could end up feeling less motivated.   #1 Slow down with life and try not to stress:   This is a very difficult one. It is something I have tried for years but have yet accomplish or come close. I am improving but still have a long way to go. I have a love and hate relationship being a full time working mother.  I always feel rushed from the moment to I wake up. While it feels great to get my own paychecks, having a sense of success/accomplishment and pride in my career, I totally hate not being able to spend enough time with my daughter or maintain the house the way I want to. It is almost impossible to have it all when you spend 8 waking hours at work and very few at home. I need to accept this fact and feel grateful for what it is.  Stress is a silent killer and I feel I need to do something about it to lower my stress level before it kills me. I certainly want to live for as long as so I can be with my little one.   #2 Take more photos and get back to blogging   Crazy things always happened during the last six months and this proved to be true in the last two years for me. I am a little anxious as what 2016 will bring. A little break from craziness would greatly be appreciated. Blogging was totally out of the picture. My life was pretty much in this loop, from work to home to stress and to craziness.   I miss taking pictures and blogging. For the most part, I miss connecting with my fellow blogging buddies.   #3 Spend more time outdoor and grow flowers/veggies   Weather in 2015 just didn't quite make this happen. It always rained on weekends and tell me why the rain always held off until the weekends arrived. I miss spending time outside to grow and enjoy my flowers and veggies.   #4 Play with a little one and be more active   I am not the best mom when it comes to playing with her child. Thanks to work that drained my energy and mentality. In the past few months, I have begun to manage my work/life balance differently. Playing with kids is a great way to stay active. The little ones are so full of energy! Great way to exercise. The other weekend we played football in the backyard and ran in circle about 10 times. I almost died because I was so out of shape. Time to shape up!   What do you want to accomplish this year?  

Our Christmas 2015

Christmas was over but the memories of wonderful moments and great food still hang around. Like most holidays, Christmas came to an end way too fast. Once Thanksgiving arrives, it seems like there are not that many weeks in between. This year I hope to do better when it comes to buying gifts in advance and not wait until the week of. Perhaps I can start shopping and get it all done in November instead so that I will not be wrapping presents on Christmas Eve ever again. What a wishful thinking!   Presents under the tree looked extra beautiful on Christmas Eve. They awaited to be opened.   Homemade breakfast on Christmas: French toast, eggs, sausages and fruits   Christmas morning. I love capturing this moment every year.     Fun stocking moment   I made this fruit tart to bring over to the in-laws' house along with Kale/Quinoa dish (not pictured here). Will share the tart recipe soon. So easy to make.   Table décor at the in-laws' house   My dish with Kale/Quinoa dish that I brought over.   Christmas cookies, so pretty just to look at     Sweets time, tough decision to make!   Time to savor and indulge the sweet tooth    

Fall 2015

Just when the year 2015 is about to come to the end, I figured I popped in and updated this blog after another hiatus. Life and work have not let down. I have missed blogging but I wish I had the energy and time to sit, think and write my thoughts down like I used to. These are the recaps of our 2015 Thanksgiving. Short and sweet. Glad to be back and hope to get back in the swing of blogging again.

Yukata, Meiji Shrine & Japanese Tea Ceremony

Wearing a Kimono had always been one of the things on my wish list. So when would be the best time to wear one? When you are in the land of the rising sun where the Kimono was born. I jumped with joy when I found out about the opportunity to wear this traditional, beautiful and elegant costume.
If you enter "Kimono rentals in Tokyo", you may be overwhelmed with options. I had no clue which one to select but finally decided o contact a popular place in Asakusa based on the good reviews. The prices seemed reasonable ($35-$40) and it was not far from Sensoji temple. so I typed up my email with excitement and asked a few questions. It took the shop staff a few days to reply to my email and when they replied, they didn't even answer all of my inquiries. I had more questions so I emailed them back, they never replied since then. So that was not an impressive start.
I almost gave up and got frustrated as I was unable to find any reviews of other shops (at least in English anyway). Just a few weeks prior to the trip, I gave it another try and this time I came across Kimono-Sakaeya which I thought it looked pretty promising. After browsing and reading information on the website, I felt this place suited my need and more. However, I couldn't find any reviews about this shop except one review from one lady years ago. I didn't know what to expect but the owner's prompt response and friendliness really made a huge difference in my decision making. I felt like if I chose another place near Sensoji temple, I would probably feel rush since they always had tons of customers and never made an effort to even email me back.
The Sakaeya shop owner, Kahori-san was super responsive, could speak good English and made me feel at ease just by communicating through emails. The price was higher than what I originally wanted to pay (we chose "Rental Plan: Visit Meiji Shrine" and it costed 9,000 yen per person. Total cost for 3 of us = $223) but considering the fact that this plan also included a short version of a Japanese tea ceremony at the end and offered a tour. I made a decision to book with Kahori-San.   During that time, we emailed back and forth, Kahori-San never failed to reply in a timely manner and you could tell she paid attention to details. She took the time to answer, was very helpful and accommodating. Since it was the beginning of summer time in Japan (June), I was offered two options: Kimono or Yukata (Kimono is made from silk, more formal and worn in the winter versus Yukata is made from lighter fabric like cotton and is worn in the summer). I wanted to wait to see how the weather was like when we arrived so no decision was made. Kahori suggested a Yukata for a little one so she would be more comfortable while walking. As for my husband, the selection for guys was not big (he was not picky anyway) so that was easy. Before the trip, Kahori emailed me a picture map that was so easy to follow. It literally showed you what street/exit/shop/ building to look for. You wouldn't get lost I guarantee. Her place was not difficult to find at all. And the best part, it is adjacent to the Marion Crepe. How awesome is that???!!!
Finally time had arrived and we were in Tokyo. Our appointment was 10:30 a.m. Our hotel was located in Shiodome area. It was quite nerve-racking since we would use the train for the 1st time and didn't want to be late. We actually got to her place 10 minutes early. Kahori-san was so friendly in person we immediately felt comfortable. She got started with our little lady by offering her options of cute Yukatas to choose from. I kind of liked the selections she had available. Not too overwhelming. Simple but clean and elegant. We got to pick our Yukatas and obi. We didnt feel rushed at all which was great. It took about 15 mins to dress her up. Next was my husband's turn. It took about 10 mins to dress him up and finally my turn which took the longest (probably 20+ mins). There were a few hair pieces we could use (no extra charge) and handbags that matched the outfits (big enough to put your wallet and phone). Before leaving her apartment, we were given a short lesson on "how to pose and look elegant in traditional Japanese costumes".
Per the description "We will provide a tea ceremony & help with your photo shoot", I thought they would use our camera and help take photos but what I didn't know was that a tour guide came with the package. That was unexpected and a pleasant surprise. Our tour guide was not a professional photographer but she did a good job taking photos. She was very nice and friendly as well. Somehow it felt strange when people stare and take photos of us along the way from Harajuku to Meiji Shrine. It was like celebrity moment...lol. It took about 10-15 mins by foot to the Meiji Shrine and luckily the weather turned out to be so pleasant and comfortable. We spent approximately 45 mins walking and taking photos which was fun. I highly recommend Meiji Shrine if you like nature as the area is very lush green, serene and peaceful. It didn't feel like you were in busy city like Tokyo at all.
When we returned to Kahori-san's place, she had prepared the water for the tea ceremony. We sat and watched how she made fresh cup of hot green tea one by one. The whole experience was worth seeing (the full version of Japanese Tea Ceremony usually lasts 4 hours but ours was a short version of it), it felt relaxed and calm. We were offered some sort of sweet candies to eat before drinking green tea. To our amazement, we watched our six year old drinking an entire cup of green tea without a fuss. It was her 1st time having green tea indeed. I asked her later if it tasted good, she said no (she didn't want to be impolite so she drank all). That green tea was really good and not too overpowering.
One thing I was concerned about renting something like this was the cleanliness of the rental pieces. From what I could tell, there was no odor to the Yukatas and they looked very cleaned. I am not sure about other places though. Our little one got to take her Yukata home with her as well as a souvenir. Befirecwe left, a tour guide and Kahori transferred all the photos to a CD and gave to us.
Overall experience: All three of us had an amazing time! It was an awesome start to kick off our trip. If we go back I want to reserve with Kahori again but perhaps go to Togo Shrine or a Japanese garden this time. I highly recommend Kimono-Sakaeya.

Tips: you probably should leave your dslr at the hotel or with Kahori-san (we left ours with her) and bring a small compact camera or your phone in case you want to take specific photos. Do not bring too many belongings as they will get in the way with photo taking. Wearing a Kimono and carrying a backpack may look quite awkward. You can fit a wallet and perhaps a phone in a cute little purse that Kahori-san provides as an accessory. A small bottle of water may come in handy in case you get thirsty on a hot day.