wedding etiquette

The more I read about wedding etiquette, the more unwitting breaches I discover I have committed.

So sad.

what to wear at weddings

According to Miss Manners, it is short but dressy clothing during the daytime, with a hat if you like. For women, that is. Long, narrow, and sleeved dresses in the evening (for dinner parties). Poufy dresses for dances. The only evening dresses I have are sleeveless. Oh well.

She didn't mention if black dresses are inappropriate.

buddha bank

This is the coolest!

Perhaps it is sacriligious. Actually looks like those laughing Chinese statues to me, rather than a Buddha.

nametags for dignitaries

Dear Miss Manners:

Which side of your body is the proper place to wear name tags and/or jewelry? We have heard that it is "proper" to wear them on the right side, and yet any time we see anyone of importance, i.e., the Queen, Laura Bush and others who should know, they always have their jewelry on the left side. Can you clarify this for us?

Also, can you instruct us on when executives should and should not wear name tags?

Nametags on the right, jewelry on the left. Miss Manners is disappointed that you neglected to take up the question of whether the Queen and Mrs. Bush should wear name tags, and if so, what they should say.

"HELLO! I'M/ Your Majesty"?

"MY NAME IS/ Laura (not Barbara)"?

Miss Manners cracks me up.

Thanks Jackie!

I was reflecting on last year and how much time I spend on Japanese. At the high point I was taking 2 Japanese classes and tutoring 3 Japanese families in English. I'd attend all the free tutor sessions held after my 4 times a week 10 am class. I also went to the Stanford Language Exchange occasionally Thursday nights, and really fun J Club tutorials held Friday night by one of my tutors.

Pretty crazy how much I was studying Japanese. And how did I start? Jackie encouraged me to take a Mandarin Chinese class with her at Foothill College. That was a lot of fun - took it for 2 terms, I think. Then I realized that I was still mor interested in learning Japanese, so I started taking Japanese classes too. And here I am, in Tokyo. Crazy, huh?

Thanks Jackie! I really like it here.

where are you from?

New acquaintance: "Where are you from?"
Me: "San Francisco/U.S."
New acquaintance: "Where are you from originally?"
Me: "Maryland."
New acquaintance: "No, where are you really from? Where were your parents from?"
...

Ever have that happen? I've had that kind of conversation in multiple countries, not just the U.S. I guess I just don't look "American" to some people. Some people won't give up until I've explained my parents' entire emigration history. I enjoy baffling them with my "Maryland" response.

While a this kind of inquiry is a little annoying at times, I never realized that it is a violation of etiquette.

I'd like to know a polite response to stem inquiry beyond my reply of "San Francisco."

2610 yen shirt

A simple brown top for work. Light and iron-free! I think it's rather elegant too. I'm on a roll. 1 more work shirt and I don't have to wear suit jackets at all during the week.

Of course, I have a nice white top in a backpack in CA. Laf. Anyone feel like shipping it to me?

if you were the opposite gender...

What would you do? (if you woke up one day and were the opposite gender)

I might get an earring. Learn to ride a motorcycle? I'd buy a lot of mens clothes. I really like guys' clothes. It looks very comfortable. Except for ties.

I'd still shave my armpits. I'd work out more. I'd learn all the Japanese slang that I'm not supposed to use now. I'd trek through China by myself.

On a completely separate note, I think it's time to get highlights. I'm a bit bored of my hair. I like it, but it's a bit boring. I'll go to Shampoo in Shibuya 109. Highlights are cheap there!

CD review: HAJIME Chitose "wadatsumi no ki"

Artist: HAJIME Chitose
CD title: ワダツミの木
Country: Japan

It's not a full album, with only 3 songs but quite good. Mellow stuff, but pretty. She's an Okinawan singer apparently. I'll have to buy more of her stuff.

CD review: Globe "Cruise Record, 1995-2000"

Artist: Globe
CD title: Cruise Record, 1995-2000
Country: Japan

A 2 disc set I got for cheap at Disk Union. I like it a lot, especially the songs "Still Growing Up" and another one whose title I forgot. Quite worth the 500 yen or so. I think I may have all the older Globe hits now. Still don't like MARC's rapping.

inoue takehiko lithograph

Other than the comic books, Inoue merchandise seems to be out of my price range. First the limited edition anime dvd set runs for about $800. Now Jump comics is offering limited edition Inoue lithographs of the manga REAL for a mere $300 each. They're signed, but that's still a lot of money. 1 onsen trip. I'd rather go on the onsen, although an Inoue lithograph would be nice. Still, I like the subjects in his artbook better, which I got for a relatively cheap $16 or $20.

Anyway, since they're only offering 100 lithographs of the Inoue poster, it's unlikely that I'd even be able to buy it. I was unclear on the Japanese text, but the order form seemed to imply that they'd randomly pick 100 people from among the postcards sent in.

I wonder how much one would go for on auction.

blog discretion

A singularly pertinent column from Miss Manners about discretion and web logs. I have a really difficult time not writing about people I know, including myself. I guess that means I should get a diary. It's easier to type though.

1000 yen shirt

I bought a simple tan shirt. I love v-necked shirts. It's quite plain, with the Head logo on the side. I like it though.

All my summer stuff is in CA.

Still looking for summer work tops. It's hard to find something that I don't have to iron.

long day

Looks like I'll be at work late. I feel bad about wasting half the day floundering. Adding the check information and the db table names is rather interesting, but a bit slow at the moment, as I'm not quite sure what I'm doing. I should probably confirm with someone.

This blog is my online diary now. Heh.

souvenir snacks

I bought a box of cookies as souvenirs for the office, but debated whether to actually give them or not. My friend never buys souvenirs for the office, because he's cheap, he says.

Apparently it's more common for women to buy souvenirs, than men. Higher up people always do though.

I think I'll be cheap like my coworker and stop buying souvenirs. Once in a while is fine though.

who knew this wasn't true?

I was surprised to find that it is not a rule that the following are not rules according to Miss Manners:

・That the monetary value of a wedding present must equal the amount spent on the guest's entertainment at the wedding reception.

・That a bride has a year in which to thank people for sending wedding presents. Or that she cannot begin to thank people until after the wedding.

i don't love uniqlo as much

This weekend, Uniqlo had a big sale, cutting 700 yen from the price of each of the 2 shirts that I bought last weekend. Oh well. It's too bad that I hate ironing. Then I wouldn't be buying any tops.

I wanted to go shopping this past weekend, but wanted to sleep more.

advice

I will try really hard to give advice only when it is asked for.

I will also work on being gracious at accepting gifts. Sometimes I'm not very gracious at all, at the moment. Surprising. It's not as if I receive gifts all the time, that I should have expectations for those gifts I do receive!

Having manners is really quite difficult. Heck, I struggle at following my words with actions.

parents, rsvps

While perusing Miss Manners' column, I came across one which reminded me of my parents.  The second item; not the one about hot tubbing.  And no, the situation isn't similar to my parents, but that attitudes seem alike.

I'm guilty of the almost RSVP sometimes. I know some other people who swear by it.

summer suit, purses

I should wear my summer suit a lot, since I can't wear it in the winter. Right now it's languishing at the dry cleaner's. I'll pick it up tomorrow morning.

Randomly obsessed with finding the perfect shoulder bag.

Requirements:
* black
* can wear slung across opposite shoulder.
* 14" wide
* 12" high
* 3" deep.
* $30 price target
* zipper top (can have flap over it)
* fun!

This corduroy purse is rather nice... It's a little too designer to be "bohemian" though.

This purse is totally cute, but I don't need it at all.

Hair gel is very effective.

i luv uniqlo

Revelling in my new polyester shirt. A pale green that goes nicely with my pale yellow suit. Laf. Very springtime. I may buy the same shirt in a light gray color. Wasn't so crazy about the grey, but for all I know, this green doesn't even suit me.

Uniqlo is great for work clothing. I retired 2 of my dress shirts, because 1 is impossible to iron, and 1 is too tight. Of my other 3 tops, 2 have had sad encounters with bleach, and the third is a bit short, so I can't take my suit jacket off when I wear them. That really makes summer days painful. I guess I need another 3 tops, but the other uniqlo colors weren't very nice. Have to find other work shirts! I have long sleeved shirts I could wear, but they're kind of thick. The silk one would work though. So I need another 2 tops. I saw a nice knit top in a shimokitazawa store, but it was $60. I could buy 3 uniqlo tops at that price.

12:00pm note: I just looked at my shirt again in the mirror, and it actually looks a bit cheap. I guess I have to muck around the department stores for some nice shirts.

manga

I've been a bit sad since my relatives left, so I bought a bunch of manga.

Nakamura Yoshiki's "スキップビート" is my favorite so far. The art and story are highly enjoyable. It's all about revenge, and self-discovery. Not revenge in a "I must revenge my parents' death" kind of way though. It's more of a "You asshole, I'm going to become a greater star than you since you crushed my heart" type of revenge. So not too sappy, and the character is pretty smart and resilient.

"赤ずきんチャチャ" is pretty funny, but I actually like the little author's notes even better. That author is hilarious! She has this one note about cutting her hair short, and how it made every day an adventure. Her alarm woke her up, and she fell back to sleep automatically. The second time she woke up, her hair was sticking up like Vegita from Dragonball (this guy who's hair sticks up like a candle flame, coming to a point in the back). She has a mirror at the foot of her bed, and she looked at herself and woke up instantly. Then she ran through the house to show someone her hair, so that it wouldn't go to waste. Hilarious. Having trouble finding volume 4 on the used book stores. Chacha's kind of stupid though. I'd rather read about a smart heroine.

"やまとなでしこ七変化" is pretty darn funny, but the female character is weirder than she is strong.

I also picked up "パンプアップ" by UEDA Rinko. It was cute and I enjoyed it. The female characters were ok - the first one was pretty strong. I really like the way she draws guys.

I bought "Blue Wars", also by Nakamura Yoshiki, which is kind of funny because the protagonist is a gay muscleman of a high school kid, who loves gardening. It's interesting, but more funny than deep.

I checked out a manga by the author of "ネバギバ！". While nice, "愛っていうのは" (or something like that), especially the cute second story, the female characters again aren't that strong. Persistent though. Persistence is good.

I bought a NASU Yuki book "天使とダイアモンド”which I bought mostly because it's NASU Yuki, the author of "Here is Greenwood". It looks like a bit of mystery and supernatural stuff, which she really seems to like. It's a 2 volume series. Haven't read it yet.

summer shirts

I can't stand putting on long sleeved shirts when it's humid, so I'm going to look for some nice summer tops tonight. I don't care that I don't need any more shirts.