Catch up....Eisa Festival and Orion Beer Festival

I know, I know, I've been remiss in posting the photos from last weekend's Eisa festival and Orion Beer Festival.....So without any further delay.... Here they are...





These two photos above were taken at the Eisa Festival at Toguchi beach, across the street from our house.










Awwww...pretty fireworks at the Orion Beer Festival....

As a sidenote, I wanted to mention that this weekend Kev and I bought a brand new camera! So hopefully, we'll have even better pictures to share!


~Chrissy

Thank goodness for long weekends...

This weekend is a long weekend and let me just say, I'm SO GLAD.

This week has been particularly long. Classes have started up again with the University of Maryland and that might be part of it, and then there are the rehearsals for "Ragtime." I've also been stuck in an edit suite for the last two days putting together a piece on a kids' horse camp. I guess I'm just wanting to whine and vent...

Anyway, not too much on the agenda for this weekend. A friend of ours, Natalia, is coming over for dinner tonight and tomorrow night, I'll be one of 3 judges for the MCCS Mega Karaoke Finals at the Globe and Anchor at Camp Foster. Should be fun. Let's hope that the finalists can at least carry a tune.

So the weekend is almost here...and I'm so glad....

Okay, vent and whine over.

~Chrissy

Hong Kong Here We Come!

As some of you may have heard, Kev and I are going to to Hong Kong for a short 5 day trip the first week of September and I have to say, WE ARE SO EXCITED. Kev has had it a bit rough with work lately, so I think the nice holiday will do him some good. He has just been a ball of nerves as of late... :( Anyway, I think touring the sights, eating some great Chinese food, and staying in a luxury hotel complete with 1000 thread-count sheets will be just what he needs.

Aside from that, we had a great weekend. We went to a POPS beach party at Torii beach on Saturday and then went to the Eisa Festival and Orion Beer Fest in Okinawa City. I have some great photos from Saturday night, which I'll post just as soon as I can. Sunday was equally nice with the two of us spending some quality time at our own neighborhood beach...we swam, I snorkeled, and we both got a bit pink. :)

I've started school again....ah...the joys of being a college student....

I'm taking Accounting, so please feel sorry for me. Your sympathy is much appreciated.

Love from Oki,

Chrissy

Paper or Plastic?

Well, here in Japan you may not have a choice. When you shop at grocery stores in Japan, you need to provide your very own shopping bag to carry your groceries. These shopping bags are called "eco-bags" and it's Japan's way to get people to be more "earth-friendly."

It's really a good idea because it encourages people to bring their own "eco-bag" and discourages the use of the disposable plastic/paper bags which end up in a landfill somewhere.

If you fail to bring your own "eco-bag"-you have to pay a nominal fee. And the truth is, despite the fact that some argue that plastic is biodegradable, it takes FOREVER for the bag to disintegrate.

I was reading on CNN about the city of Seattle imposing a fee for shoppers who use plastic bags. Good thinking....

Anyway, let me just say that this trend is already in effect here in Japan...they thought of it first.... :)

Okay, well I have to pick up some groceries tonight...so I better get my "eco-bag" ready. Maybe if you're lucky, I'll post some pictures of my nifty little bag. Kevin has a green "eco-bag." I have two. One is orange and the other has a pictures of a cat on it. SOOO cute....

Heck....maybe "eco-bags" are the next big fashion accessory?!?!?!

~Chrissy

Should I do it?

Gunners Gym at Camp Foster is offering a "Body By You" boot camp starting the first of September. I've been thinking about doing one of these kind of "hard-ass" boot camps for a while ( I have a few girlfriends who loved it and happened to lose about 10 to 15 pounds), so maybe it's about time I get my butt in gear and have someone push me. I go to the gym about 2-3 times a week as it is, but I don't think it's enough. Should I do it? What's your vote??? At $330 dollars, it's not cheap...

I'll let you know what I decide in the next few days. Of course, if I do it, it will mean getting up real early and we all know that I'm NOT a morning person.

Sigh....

~Chrissy

Obon....

It's Obon festival season here on Okinawa....According to About.com, Obon is one of the most important traditions for Japanese people. It is a Buddhist event and is the period of praying for the repose of the souls of one's ancestors. People believe that their ancestors' spirits come back to their homes to be reunited with their family during obon. Obon is an important family gathering time and many people return to their hometowns.

Last night around 10pm, Kev and I went on a walk in our neighborhood. It was cool out, a nice escape from the humidity and heat we've had for the last few days. As we were walking, we saw fruit bats flying about and heard a small crowd of high school kids practicing with their Eisa drums.

During Obon, the streets are full of the sights and sounds of Eisa drummers, bright red paper lanterns, and families gathering arond their "Butsudan" (a family altar) to worship their ancestors.

It's nice to be here and witness it all...

Enjoy your weekend.

~Chrissy

Another Survey....the magic number 4!

Here's another survey....

Enjoy!

~Chrissy

Four Jobs I'd Had In My Life
1. TV Producer
2. TV Producer (gee, no reason I do this for a living).
3. PR assistant for Boston University's PR office
4. Waitress/Hostess
**For one month, I did work as an University of Maryland field representative here on Okinawa helping students with registration.**

Four Movies I Can Watch Over and Over
1. She's Having a Baby
2. Monsters Inc.
3. Breakfast at Tiffany's
4. The Shawshank Redemption

Four TV Shows I Like to Watch
1. Heroes
2. The Office
3. Cold Case
4. CSI, Law & Order (any of the Law & Order spinoffs) and ER reruns

Four Places I Have Vacationed
1. Tahiti, Tahaa, & Bora Bora
2. Hong Kong (does it count we haven't gone yet? :))
3. Dubai and Abu Dhabi, UAE
4. Oregon and Washington

Four Websites I Visit Daily/Weekly
1. thenest.com
2. blogger.com
3. cnn.com
4. msn.com

Four of My Favorite Dishes
1. Ramen
2. Mussels a la Provencale (Moules a la Provencale in French. This dish is basically mussels prepared with tomatoes, herbs, garlic and white wine...yum!)
3. Curry Rice
4. Kev's Spaghetti with Meatballs

Four Places I'd Rather Be
1. On vacation
2. On the couch watching a movie with Kevin
3. Closer to my brother Julian so I can see him perform
4. Anywhere but working : )

Naha and Okinawa World

Now that Mom and Dad Miller have left us to spend a week in mainland Japan, I figure I would post the photos from last weekend's trip to the capital city of Naha and our visit to Okinawa World. We went to Naha to see the 10,000 Eisa dancers, but unfortunately it was so crowded and hot we couldn't see much. Instead, we decided to walk around and check out some of the sites on Kokusai Street and Heiwa Dori.

Here is a photo of the Naha monorail!



Take a look at this....This is a Kewpie doll dressed up to be a "goya." "Goya" is a staple of Okinawan food and cuisine. Goya is a bitter melon, something like a cross between a zuchinni and a squash...but bitter. It's actually doesn't taste too bad. :)



The bright "neon" lights of Kokusai...



Here we are at Heiwa Dori, a covered market right on Kokusai street.



Mini pineapples, anyone? You don't eat these, you plant them.




Or how about some sea grapes, better known as "umibudou." Naturally, sea grapes aren't really grapes, it's seaweed!



Here are some photos from our trip to Okinawa World. At Okinawa World, we visited Gyokusendo. Gyokusendo is an underground cave with thousands of stalagmites and stalactites. Since it was pretty hot out, going "underground" for a bit was a nice escape....






My hubby with his Dad.



Here are some more photos of the awesome formations.





Once outside, we enjoyed some of the other sites at Okinawa World. Here is a photo I took of a "shisa" on a roof.



Everywhere you go on Okinawa, you're bound to see "shisa"....

Gotta love it.

Thanks for visiting Mom and Dad Miller. Come back to visit us soon!

~Chrissy

And so it begins....

Rehearsals that is. I've started rehearsals for the musical "Ragtime." In this production, I am playing the role of "Mother." The show doesn't open until October, but I can tell there is a lot of work ahead....

Speaking of mother, my inlaws- Mom and Dad Miller- have left us after some 4 weeks. They are now on their way to mainland Japan where they will explore Tokyo and Kyoto before heading back to the States.

Well, that's about it. Hope everyone's summer is going well. It's hotter than %#& here on Okinawa....

Talk soon,

Chrissy

Survey says...

Got the following survey from a friend of mine. She put it up on her blog, so I figure I should do the same.

Enjoy.

____________________

10 years ago: Ten years ago, I was a junior in college studying abroad at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan. I lived in an international dorm and made some great friends!

5 years ago: 5 years ago, my 'now' husband Kevin and I first met. We met and fell in love in 2003 and the rest is history. We got married in 2006!

5 months ago: I took the plunge and decided to go back to school. I started studying at University of Maryland to get another Bachelor's degree. I am now currently working on my degree in Business Administration.

5 things on my list of things to do tomorrow:
1. Sleep in.
2. Clean and do laundry.
3. Go to Naha to see the 10,000 Eisa dancers.
4. Go out to eat some "tonkatsu."
5. Go to sleep early and snuggle with my hubby.

5 bad habits:
1. Biting and peeling my nails...still do it, at 31 years old.
2. Being too sensitive, I take things to heart too easily.
3. Being judgemental at times.
4. Nagging.
5. Procastinating.

5 places I’ve lived:
1. Silver Spring, MD
2. Capitol Hill, DC
3. Arlington, VA
4. Brighton, MA
5. Okinawa, Japan

5 things people don’t know about me:
1. I am half Japanese, people often notice that I'm different, but they can't pinpoint what it is.
2. I used to wait tables and work as a hostess at a restaurant. I hated it. With a capital "H."
3. I love Hello Kitty. You are never too old to love Hello Kitty.
4. I was born in Madrid, Spain.
5. I can't whistle very well.

Adventures at Yomitan Pottery Village & The Aquarium

Yesterday I took the day off from work and spent the day as a "tour guide" for my inlaws. We had a really full day. First, we headed to the Yomitan Pottery Village where we visited several small pottery shops and Ryukyu glass shops. We were able to watch as the potters molded the clay and used a potter's wheel. Here are some photos from the Pottery Village:


(Mom Miller checking out the merchandise at Pottery Village).


(Some cool clay tea pots!)




(I really liked this "crab" inspired bowl.)


(I need one of these, soy saucers.)

After the pottery village, we headed north to Nago and visited the Pineapple Farm and the Churaumi Aquarium.


(Here is the view of the large tank in the aquarium with the three whale sharks.)

And here's a photo of Mom and Dad Miller in the mouth of a shark.



We ended the day at Pizza in the Sky-the American name for the restaurant "Kajinho." Unfortunately, we were all so hungry we neglected to take photos. This is the only one we got!



Oh well.... We had a good day at least!

~Chrissy