Hairy Eyebrows, Garbage Bins, and Fighter Jets

What's a girl gotta do to get her eyebrows waxed in Japan?! TELL MEEE! I haven't done my eyebrows in four fricken weeks and they're beginning to crawl off my face like caterpillars! Honestly, for a nation filled with hairless people appropriate waxing salons should be in plenty! humph!

And another thing! Where are all of the garbage bins in this country?! For such a clean country you'd think there'd be mass amounts of bins! Where does all the garbage go?! Does it vanish into thin air? Hmmm...I actually wouldn't be surprise if such a device existed in Japan, the world's capital of technology!

AND ONE MORE THING! I would like to thank the Japanese airforce for putting on daily show for me. Oh yeah, I especially enjoy it when you fly your damn stealth jets over my apartment every morning at 8:40am EXACTLY! p.s. please shove your jets up your arse so that I can sleep the fuck in! Arigato Goyzamasu!

S, T, A, R, That's What I Am! Because I'm Big In Japan!

Greetings from the land of the Rising Sun or as some of us like to call it, "The Empirrrre."

Well, there's just so much for me to tell you. I should have started this from day one, but I've been so busy! So for now, I'll give you the basics. I found a job teaching English in a suburb of Tokyo called Aobadai. While I'm here I plan on saving money, paying off some debt, explore Japan, and learn as much as I can about Japanese culture and history. This is going to be such a great experience! Who out off all my friends can say that they lived in Japan? I'm so special! lol

Before I go into detail I will give you a general overview of my time here so far. Everything is in Japanese and it's frustrating that I can't read anything (looks like I'll just have to learn Japanese :)), everything is fresh, I finish work late and get home late, and I AM the only black person in this country! lol Nah, I've seen a few. Haha, and every time I see another black person we make eye contact, and give a little nod to each other. It's our way of saying, "Yeah, that's right. You're in Japan, and you're foreign AND BLACK!" lol. We never stop to say hi and bond over being black in Japan, we just move on.

Alright, I'm four weeks into living in Japan. Let's see how this part of my life turns out! And I an tell you one thing...I'm not too keen on the food...I can certainly say that I am still very hungry!

Alcohol is Satan

Do you want me to give the best piece of advice? Here it is: NEVER DRINK ALCOHOL! It's really not worth the hangover in the morning. It's really not worth you puking over your toilet bowl. It's really not worth the splitting headache the next day. It's really not worth feeling and probably smelling like Satan's ass. DON'T DO IT! Why would you want to put your body through something like that?

...where's my advil?

Dear 2011...

Dear 2011,

You really screwed me over. I should hate you, but you know, I don't. I'm sure a lot of people despise you, but I'm sure you weren't trying to be malicious. You see at first I thought you were being a total bitch, but I just realized that you were just doing you're job. So much can happen in all of your twelve months and it was your job to help us prepare for 2012 and the rest of our lives. Will 2012 be a happier year? Maybe. Maybe not. But I am positive that 2012 will teach us a lot more about myself and others.

You know something 2011? I was supposed to be in grad school. That was my thing. Grad school was supposed to prepare me for a career in museums and art galleries. But you had something else in mind for me, didn't you? So here I am, an English teacher in 2012. Instead of living in Newcastle, England, enjoying fish and chips, I'll be in Yokohama, Japan, enjoying earthquakes! What did this disappointment teach me? When your path is obstructed, you make a new one to get where you want and if you end up at a different destination, work with it. Nobody will die!

You have made me wiser and more conscious about others around me. I am very observant and I have gotten better at reading people and figuring them out. It's become easier to spot suspicious individuals and now I know how to deal with them. This is great, because I am more selective with who can be in my life. You gave me many new friends and you showed me what characteristics my friends should own such as respect for one's self and others and loyalty. Because of this I've gained awesome friends and had to cut other friends. And when those "friends" got angry at me for cutting them and put me through amusing, pathetic, and defensive speeches, my reasons for making cutbacks are straightened. Honestly, I've had enough with silly, irrational, rude, and selfish people. They only bring you down.

You have made me a stronger person. I stand up for myself and for others. What's the worse someone can do to you if you take a stand? Kill you? Sure, standing up for yourself is scary, but really, are you going to die? NOPE!

And finally, you gave me the best gift ever, my love. So, 2011, I guess you weren't too bad. :D I nearly gave up there. I guess it's true what they say, 'you don't find true love, it finds you!'

In 2011 I was called a lier, selfish person, weak, and oh yes, and I was told that I was living in a fantasy world (that was the best one I must say!) But in 2011 I found myself to be a honest person (lying gets you nowhere and I hate liars), caring (treat others as you would like to be treated), tough, and living in a very real world, surrounding myself with real people who know how tough life really is. Because in the real world, people work hard to get what they want and go where they want for as long as it takes. They don't stomp their feet and throw temper tantrums to get what they want...that's just sad and immature :(

Thank you 2011. Thank you for helping me re-discover myself.

Sincerely,

Tyechia

p.s.

Tell 2012 to BRING IT!

Single No More!

Bahaha, bitches! I am single no more! lol

As some of you may have already figured out, I am totally in love with the best person in the world, Karim. I absolutely adore him! He is wonderful! He is respectful, generous, good hearted, and very handsome. But one thing that makes him great is his ability to be aware of what is going on around and between us. In a way, I am the same way. We are both conscious and we discuss. Who could ask for better?! Well duh! There isn't any better than him! Bahahaha!

Despite my satisfaction with my amazing mate, at times I get bored (NOT WITH HIM) and I am still hungry. In fact I think Karim and I are both hungry. We both LOVE food...I smell disaster (I always suggested that we eat crap. So far I think I've been able to get away with putting all the blame on him, but really, I'm the culprit! lol).

So what do I have to say to everyone out there. 1., Boredom will pass. 2., Hungry? I've discovered poutine pizza and everyone should eat up! 3., Being single is fun and hard at times. But being tied is more fun and can be as equally hard.

Now please excuse me, but I have to call my boyfriend! :D

The Path of Life

I've been thrown off my path! I had a planned path all mapped out down to the last detail...and someone threw me off it. The path that I'm on at the moment is not clear. I'm not even sure that it's a single path. I think its a highway with heavy traffic filled with pretty cars. The way is foggy and I can't see. I don't like not being in control. I don't like not knowing what is beyond a foggy highway. But I think there's a patch of sun down the way. Lets see what the sun is shinning on, eh. (Baha, so Canadian...,eh?).

Mind Over Heart

Young and unexperienced,

full of life.

Young and unexperienced,

full of passion.

Young and going through experiences,

your heart begins to ache.

Older and experienced,

full of caution,

yet hope still remains.

Older and experiencing

your heart gets another beating.

It takes a lot of strength to still feel pain,

to feel vulnerable because you still hope.

Older and experienced,

you lose touch with your heart.

You learn to be in touch with your head.

Your head rules,

even though your heart still beats passion and hope.

Your mind rules because if it doesn't there would be no more heart to protect,

instead an empty place exists,

empty but with no space for love.

Mind over heart,

its called survival.