Ie Island Lily Festival

Yesterday, I took a girl's day trip to Ie Island for the Lily Festival. It was wonderful! Perfect weather, relaxing time, great company, and beautiful flowers. The Lily Festival is exactly what you'd expect. Just a whole bunch of lilies - the main reason why the husbands weren't invited.

(L to R) Laura, Heather with B, me, Charity, Jessica, and Amy.
(Picture courtesy of Charity!)

We hopped on a 30-ish minute ferry ride from Motobu Port in Nago to Ie Island.

Docking at Ie Island.

Pictures of the Week

All around Okinawa, you would find things that would make you say, "Huh?" It's great that the menu's have pictures, and the Japanese translate things to English to the best of their ability, but some things make me giggle.

Yesterday, Joey and I went to a restaurant where little English is spoken, which we have been to many times, and when we order, we take our waiter to the front counter case and point at the meal displayed - mainly because we can't find what we want on the menu. But as I was reading the menu, things started to make sense!

For example:
Cheeseomureto = Cheese omelet
Furai = fry

They switch the L with R's (and sometimes add a few extra syllables). Would that make my name Riza?

Anyway, here are other things this week that made me giggle.

Men also like to go to the spa - U Time, a Men's Relaxation Salon.

Part of me thinks it's a place that gives more than a massage.

Boring Survey on going.

Hope they don't fall asleep!

This is the construction going on directly across my apartment.

They don't believe in ramps, they just tilt the tow truck up on stilts!

This is a bad angle, but it reads "Car Life Best Suppot."

Earth Day

Once again, sorry for the lack of posts. Nothing exciting has been going on lately. Joey's been super busy with work and I ... well ... been doing the housewife thing - i.e. cleaning, cooking, gym-ing, lunching with friends, watching TV, and sleeping.

In other news, it's Earth Day! Well, I'm a day late, but better late than never.

Last year, I took an Environmental Chemistry class and ever since then, I'd say I became more environmentally aware of what I use, sort of.

I've always recycled, and later turned into a habit. But also because we have to - we live off base and have to separate our trash. See:

We have combustibles, non-combustibles (i.e. glass), cans/tins, and plastics.

It irks me when people don't recycle. You have a soda can? Put it in a different trashcan. It's simple, but yet people don't do it. And if you're one of those people who don't recycle, start doing it. Save your Earth!

We also green bag our groceries and anything else we buy about 90% of the time (sometimes we forget to bring them).


I'd start a vegetable garden, but I don't have a green thumb. That's one thing my sisters and I didn't inherit from my mom. I was always scared I'd kill all my mom's orchids whenever she went out of town and left me in charge of watering them (especially after she mistakenly asked my sister, Nanie, to care for them once and came back home to dead plants).

Happy Earth Day everyone! Go Green!

My Favorite J's

Charity tagged me to do a game called the Alphabet Super Game. The object of the game is to assign a person a letter and they are to list 10 favorite things that begin with that letter. Charity tagged me with the letter "J'.

My 10 Favorite J's
1. Joey
2. Jewelry
3. Jamba Juice
4. Jamaican Jerk
5. Jenga
6. Jokes
7. Jeopardy
8. Jello
9. Jalapenos
10. Japan

Now it's your turn Charity, and your letter is B!

Happy Easter 2009!

Happy Easter!

Last year, I colored Easter eggs with my cousins for the first time in a long time and I had so much fun, that I wanted to do it again! I know what you're thinking, "It's a kid thing," but Joey and I like to stay young at heart! Plus, we want to start our own traditions - i.e. making gingerbread houses for Christmas.

The Easter egg coloring kits were sold at the BX a couple of weeks ago, and of course they were sold out quickly. So I asked my mom to send me one and she sent me up to three years worth of coloring kits - thanks Mom! (She also sent me a gallon of the Filipino ketchup, but that's another story - however, I love getting care packages!)

We used the Tie-Dye Easter Egg coloring kit and used crayons and glitter for decorating.

It was just Joey and I, but we had fun and ended our day with tie-dye hands! I guess I'm making egg salad tomorrow. Hmmm ... I gotta buy bread then too.

Sound Proof? No. (Part 2)

I was watching Joey leave this morning from our bedroom window, and I heard my neighbor's morning alarm. No biggie, since it was a little drowned out and it quiet enough in my place to hear.

But Joey and I are hard sleepers, where it takes FOUR very loud alarms to wake us up, with numerous snooze button hits.

Our neighbors must hate us.

Sound Proof? No.

When we first moved into our place, Joey said that our windows were sound proof. Well, he was wrong. And now, I think our neighbors either must hate us or think there's something wrong with us ... or both.

Joey's car is loud. I always know when he gets home, even if the TV is on and I'm cooking with the vent on, because his exhaust is so loud. He leaves for work so early and when he starts his car, I'm sure he wakes up our downstairs neighbor because their bedroom window is right above our parking space. And I think the dad works the night shift, so he's probably trying to sleep around the time Joey leaves.

Also, I'm ticklish, and Joey likes to take advantage of that. Practically everyday he would tickle attack me, and of course, I run away from him and scream for dear life. And every single time, he tells me to be quieter because the neighbors are going to be suspicious. Why doesn't he stop tickling me then? I don't know.

My poor neighbors.

It wasn't Soursop ...

Remember how Joey and I bought some fruit at the Farmer's Market and thought it was soursop? Well, it's not. How do we know? Because it was sweet, not sour.

So, it was either sweetsop or cherimoya. Tasted good though!