No more deadlines! No more kids on holidays! For the first time in a long time, I finally have time for myself. It's like my holiday from life!!!
(Picture was taken in a hurry. I looked tired. I was... Should have been vertical and showed the lovely long cardigan I inherited from a certain talented American artist who left in it my car. Just watched a housewife variety show that featured "Various ways of wearing this season's top trend -- THE LONG CARDIGAN! " So thanks a bunch, it's being put to good use!")
For the past two years, I was in a super work mode. After Reina's birth, I had my doubts whether I'd ever get back into writing and editing but a series of fortunate events resulted in more work than I had hoped for. But finally, I wanted to get off the trendmill. So what is in store for my life NOT as a workalcoholic?
-- More writing. Yes, but I'm now working on a personal writing project. It is called Oyomesan -- Marrying into a Japanese Family. It's a combination of personal anecdotes and analysis of the changes in the contemporary Japanese family. Inspired by a friend curious about Japanese marriage and divorce. Next week, I'll be sending out a bunch of magazine story proposals and will work on the approved ideas as well. Have my monthly column on Japanese society. Of course, sating my blogging addiction. But trying to avoid any technical, corporate work for a while...
-- Sorting out the closets which is something I really must do. Even a 10-year-old offered to clean out Rio's room for me... In doing so, instill some tiny sense of organization in my kids who as Hiroshi puts it, are "thoroughbreds" when it comes to losing things.
-- Cooking. There is an early entry on this blog about how I've vowed to cook more homemade food for my family. Cooking is a luxury to the working mother. Cooking for a picky family can be an exercise in self-abuse. Cooking in my old neighborhood surrounded by the cheap, yummy eateries of Ekoda and the cheap, yummy eateries of Ikebukuro just didn't make much sense. Buying food in Toyosu is annoying. Even Hiroshi buys vegetables from our old neighborhood every Saturday when he takes the kids to judo. But eating out is even more annoying because the same chain restaurant in Lalaport here costs 15% more than in Ikebukuro. So home cooking is kind of a consumer protest as well. It's an enjoyable one though.
-- Exercising. Everyone has their style of exercising. For me, the best shape up routine consists of one week doing Denise Austin's 30-min Back to Beauty? video, then two weeks of Billy Blanks Boot Camp. Boot Camp is hard but works. But I'd also like to do more "fun" activity as well.
Going to get my two-week trial membership at the local sports club. Most likely won't join. It will all depend on whether the kids are going for their swimming lessons there, the family discounts may make me change my mind. The other thing I am going to start is "bohjutsu" a branch of shintaido. We do have to find time to do it and it's getting chillier outdoors, but since Hiroshi is an instructor, in theory practicing should not be too difficult. At least once a month. Nancy is in. Maybe Fujimori? If we get a few people, less likely to cancel. Can't see myself going to a real class for a while, two hour session... if Nancy complains about it being tiring....
-- More quality time with my family. My family spend a lot of time together, but I'd like to spend more time one on one with each one of them. Hard to explain but doesn't beats one on one interaction.
