A Picture's Worth

I just booked flights [English: across the ditch / Japanese: to Christchurch] this weekend so Pukamon and I can help our old roommate's school's Student Volunteer Army with some earthquake recovery. Doing something to help out somewhere feels better than standing around the deli worrying about y'all, and while I can't afford a flight to Japan, I can afford to get to NZ. Besides, we can actually be useful there. In Japan we'd just get in the way.

Some of my high school and Disney friends have been evacuating south or even overseas. I really wish my host family would leave, but kaasan's a nurse and tousan and neesan won't leave her.

Talking to some of my Japanese friends who are still in Florida is like Brisbane all over again: They know their family's okay but they're still really worried about them, and their parents are telling them to stay in America. One girl's family's getting out and using this as an opportunity to visit her at Disney, though, which must be nice for the little brother who doesn't really know what's going on.

(OOC: Translation note: Ash uses the Japanese honorifics for his host family even in English. It's a way for him to differentiate his host family from his natural family.)

I hope everyone's had a good start to their new year!

Christmas, or the Terayamas' attempt at it, was pretty fun. We opened presents around Meg-neechan's decorated bonsai tree before kaasan and tousan had to go to work. Thank god my Australian presents for them got here on time. Meg-neechan got me a Koda Kumi CD as a joke, but then pulled out a kimono for me from the family and another voucher for the local darkroom. :$ Kaasaan and tousan also got me the Death Note manga, which considering my experiences trying to find certain doujinshi for it kind of made me splutter a bit, but from what I can read it's actually pretty good. I can see why Tegan likes it so much. Apart from the pretty boys.

Mum and Dad got me a new watch, and for no apparent reason car wax. Kenzie just turned eighteen this year so she sent me porn as a joke. That was fun to open. -_- She also got me car seat covers...? Do they know something I don't? The usual five rolls of film from Nic and Dani - let's see if it survived customs. Billabong voucher from Katia, always useful; bracelet thing from Tegan. Good haul this year :)

Meg-neechan left for Melbourne a couple of days ago (but not before telling me she knew about Pukamon! Pukamon, why didn't you tell me?!), apparently she's settling in well there. Kenzie loves her, always a good sign. It's been sort of awkward with kaasan and tousan ever since because their English isn't as good as Meg-neechan's and my Japanese isn't as good as - well, Pukamon's - so I've sort of been moping around the cake shop instead of staying home.

On the upside, Tsubasa-kun and I have had a couple of goes at making a pav! Largely unsuccessful, but fun, and I now know a lot more Japanese for baking.

For lack of anything interesting to post about (the Halloween party was confusing and Shinjuku Ni-chome is never to be spoken of again), I shall picspam. A picture's worth a thousand words, right?

( Mmm, photos. )

Meg-neesan informs me that this Halloween, I'm cosplaying. Somehow, she thinks that the fact that it's also my birthday means I have even more reason to dress up, no matter how much I tried to tell her that it means I get to choose, and I get to choose to not cosplay.

You'd think with three or four sisters depending on whether you count Meg-neesan or not, a best friend who's female, and the next closest friend also being female, I'd understand Girl Logic by now. But nope, I'm just as confused as ever.

She has conceded that I get to pick my own character to cosplay instead of her picking one for me and no doubt putting me in something I'd never wear in public.

Of course it has to be someone from a game, anime, or manga. And where is my otaku friend when I need her? Australia. I wish T would get a Livejournal instead of just stupid Bebo which I hardly ever go on.

Buuuuut kaasan and tousan are going away the weekend after, so Meg-neesan says she'll take me clubbing A) for my birthday and B) to make up for the cosplay thing.

...but I still need to find a decent costume.