Boy

"Boy" is the most hilarious movie I have seen this year. Well done Aotearoa! "Stop cooking all the doorknobs!" - Classic!

Time has been flying by in a turbo-charged supersonic rocket lately (or so it seems!). It's just that time of year with Christmas coming, holidays being planned, work busy, friends visiting, All Blacks touring, NBA season starting and of course, our little Boy getting busy!! And one other (very) little thing is keeping our minds occupied....Joshua got a new T-Shirt:

That's right! We are very proud to be expecting a new brother or sister for Joshua. The new addition is expected in late May, so it's very exciting times ahead!

Joshua is starting to talk so much now! He has a mix of English and Japanese and he is learning new words every day. His vocab includes - "Truck, bus, car, duck, dog, monkey, fish, turtle, circle, star, ball, tv, book, apple, banana, sun, moon, socks, eye, ear, mouth, nose, teeth, baby", and many more!! He can also count and recognise numbers up to 10 (he loves the supermarket because there are numbers everywhere!), knows some letters (and can almost sing "A,B,C"), and is now learning colours! It's amazing how fast he can pick up new words. As for Japanese, he is not doing too bad either, saying things like "ittarashai" (see you later) & "gochisousammadeshita" (thank you for the meal). Josh is also singing many songs he learns from daycare, on tv, or from his dad (he started singing "Stand by me" after I sang to him at every bedtime!). He loves looking at books and has a huge library that is getting bigger all the time. He is also getting much more coordinated, as he feeds himself better, can climb quite well, tries to jump and is starting to run. It has really been an amazing couple of months as far as his development.......oh, and one more thing - this morning he pooped on his potty for the first time, then gave an encore performance after lunch! That's one step closer to the end of dirty nappies for Joshua!


Josh and Michiyo at Halloween



Aki turned 1 year old!



Slide time!




Joshua really wanted to touch it.......




.....He got to touch the snakes dinner instead



The mouse is getting away!

Future KFC

Fun in leaves

Field trip to orange farm

woops, forgot to turn pic....Josh likes stickers - a lot!

Dress up in mummys hoodie

Putting up the christmas tree

Hear me roar!!

Why is Daddy in the tree?

Peek-a-boo

Joshua tried his Ahiruguchi smile when Chopper Reid came to visit

So it's just one more month until Joshua turns 2 and he will have a very special birthday on a tropical island! We will make the most of the cheap travel while he is still one year old, and go to Thailand for a week in January. It will probably be our last overseas trip for a while with the new addition coming, so we'll be sure to enjoy it!

Have a Merry Christmas and safe holidays everyone!

The Elder Trotter's take a trip to Japan

After month's of waiting we were so happy to welcome mum and dad to Japan. We all had a lot of fun in the three weeks they were here. There is too much to write about, so I'll briefly mention some of the things mum and dad enjoyed-

* Yokohama  - Chinatown, Minatomirai (top of Landmark Tower), Sea Bass, Yamate, Yodobashi Camera!
*Tokyo - (with Anthony and Fumiko) Tokyo Tower, Asakusa, Shibuya, Roppongi
*Watching Liam's softball and Ice Hockey
*Kamakura (temple and buddha statue)

*Hakone (open air art museum, world's worst mini golf course)

*Sumo
*Shopping
*Eating great food (although I think they needed some time to get used to it all!)
*Watching mikoshi matsuri
*Going to Asian Amateur Golf Championship
*Evening Poker games
.......and many more!

Between us we have over 1000 pictures from their 3 week stay!!!! This is not going to be easy but I'll try and show you the best.......

5 Years & Counting.....

So, here I am still in Japan after five years! I can't believe it's gone so fast considering so much has happened in that time - Got a job, met Aki, moved in with Aki, got engaged to Aki, my company went bankrupt, got a new job, got married (to Aki!), Aki got pregnant, moved into new house, Joshua born...Life is Good!

So I looked back at my blog from 3 years ago, when I celebrated my 2 years in Japan with my "Living in Japan Top 5" (See the post here). I guess it must be time to update that list, but now that I look at it, there's not a lot to change! So, here is my old top 5 (in no particular order) with new adjustments, followed by a couple of new top fives. Enjoy!

2007 Top 5 Vexations (Things I don't like very much)
1. Taxi Drivers
2. Not much nature in the city
3. Crowded trains
4. Crowds (particularly the people who don't seem to realise they are in a crowd)
5. Pollution.

2010 Top 5 Vexations
Only one change - I don't take trains very much nowadays, so the crowded train ride is now a novelty and not the norm. It's replacement - Bad drivers! Now that I drive, I can see people doing absurd things in their cars, like surfing the web on their keitei, passing cars or buses on blind corners, driving with their dog standing on their lap or smoking with the windows up and a backseat full of children. Taxi Drivers remain in a category of their own, and I've recently enjoyed kicking a taxi drivers door after he almost wipes me off the road while running a red light, only to stop at the red light 100 metres up the road- hilarious reactions!

2007 Top 5 Reasons I haven't come home yet
1. Amazing food
2. Entertainment
3. Nice, friendly people
4. Easy job
5. Aki

2010 Top 5 Reasons I haven't come home yet
1. Family life - We are well and truely settled in, just need one more kid and a white picket fence (but our brown slate fence will do fine). Aki is a fine wife and mother to Joshua. Joshua is just amazing! Can't complain, so if it ain't broke why fix it (or move home in this case)?
2. Job - while my new job is not as easy as my old, it is a lot more fun! Seeing young kids grow up over the last 3 years, learning to speak English and treating me as a close friend is very touching and satisfying.
3. Financial Security - with job comes money, and the more the better. Why go home where I'd be lucky to find a salary of $30,000 a year (after tax), when I'm earning closer to $60,000 a year (after tax). It's a no brainer, and when the exchange rate is good for me, I've got it going straight to my NZ long term investment. Saving for the future!
4. Food - I still love the food
5. Lack of social problems - It's far from perfect, but Japan (128 million people), seem to get a lot of things right compared to NZ (4 million). Do we need more people in NZ? I read the NZ news everyday, and it seems to me that things are getting worse, with drug-crazed losers stocking up on guns to fight their armageddon war when the police come knocking. Please don't turn into a mini-America!!!! However, one sad thing in Japan is the number of mothers (I don't think I've heard of a father doing it) that kill their children, or children that kill their parents. Must be the stress of living in crowded places...

2007 Top 5 Events I was at
1. 2006 Fiba World Championships
2. Fuji Rock
3. Big Rugby Games
4. Tokyo Motor Show
5. Bungee

2010 Top 5 Events I was at
No changes here, mostly because I havn't done many event type stuff since Josh was born, and before that we were so busy with wedding stuff, new job and moving house. I can add to the big rugby games  - Junior All Blacks winning World Championship in Tokyo (I picked Cruden for the ABz after watching that) and the Bledisloe Cup match last year.

2007 Top 5 Places I've been
1. Okinawa
2. Kyoto
3. Hiroshima
4. Minakami
5. Niijima

2010 Top 5 Places I've been
Again, no change here, being that's it's been difficult to travel with a baby, and when Josh was big enough we went to NZ and Saipan, so nothing else in Japan. Add Tokashiki Island to the beautiful places in Okinawa and Lake Motosuko gets an honourable mention. Still a couple of places I want to visit in Japan, including Hokkaido and Osaka.

....and now for some random new Top 5's.....

Top 5 Novels I've read
I love to read a good book when I turn in for the night, and have come to amass quite a few. Here are the best -
1. The Millennium Trilogy - Stieg Larsson
Not one, but three books that must go together. Lisbeth Salander is the unlikeliest of heroes in these action packed thrillers.
2. Under the Dome - Stephen King
Actually I have about 100 pages to go in this 900 page supernatural story, but it is an amazing story that makes you think, "What would I do?". A must read!
3. American Psycho - Bret Easton Ellis
Gory and graphic, much more than the movie. Not for the faint hearted....or those with psychopathic tendencies.
4. Tokyo - Mo Hayder
A thriller set in Tokyo, with some historical references to Nanking made it seem all the more realistic for me.
5. The Power of the Dog - Don Winslow
A very believable story tells of corrupt governments, weapon & drug smuggling and one man's quest for doing what is right.

Top 5 Video Games I've Played
First I had an X-Box, then that died and I got a Wii, and after that got boring I got an X-Box 360, which is not boring at all!

1. GTA IV (360)
Do I have to say why? It's so huge, I'm still only halfway through!!!
2. NBA 2K10 (360)
The first NBA game I'd played since NBA Live 2004 and as expected it is 6 years more developed for the better. Stunning graphics, fluid movements and controls, and countless gameplay options. I Love this Game!
3. Assassins Creed 2 (360)
The first game I bought, and didn't stop playing til I'd clocked it. Very, very , very fun!
4. Bioshock (360)
Another game I haven't finished yet - gets a little spooky playing at night in the dark, and the image of harvesting the little sisters...creepy!
5. Sports Resort (Wii)
Don't play it much nowadays, but it was definitely worthwhile when I was playing it. More of a party game for small groups.

....and finally, the Top 5 Memories of Joshua!

1. January 11, 2009
The day he was born was as special as it gets!!
2. First Smiles
A touching moment for any parent, and I still love seeing his big smile when I come home from work at night!
3. Moving
First the roll, then the army crawl graduating to standard crawl, then standing up, followed by walking. Now he dances, tip toes, spins around and more!!
4. Communication
So fun to see him learn words and follow directions like splash and clap! Now he's starting to talk in Japanese and English!!
5. Starting preschool
Very special for me as I can see him playing with friends when he comes to school. He loves it!!

So there it is, and unlike last time I made a list, I will not make any promises about future lists!!!
Sayonara

Meltdown

Technically speaking, September 1st was the beginning of Autumn. The reality is that I'm sitting here almost sweating (the fan blasting warm air at me is just preventing that), watching our thermometer slowly climb (32 degrees right now), and thinking about sitting in the paddling pool with Joshua as soon as I finish this. It's now been about 10 weeks and counting, of crazy hot weather, usually reaching around 34 degrees. And, it's not looking to cool down for another couple of weeks. Definitely my longest, hottest summer in memory!! (not surprising considering it's been the longest, hottest summer in Japan since they started taking records over 100 years ago!)

-Having just written the above, the thermostat climbed to 34 degrees and the air con is now on......expensive electricity bill on the way!

The good thing is we've been having plenty of good times and doing our best to keep cool and go swimming (or paddling) whenever possible.

We went camping at Lake Motosuko for 3 days. It was absolutely refreshing in the cool mountain air and swimming in the nice clean water of the lake. Joshua loved his first camping experience so I hope we can go again soon.

Joshua loves his camp chair - he had plenty of practice sitting there in the week before we went camping.

First time in the tent and ready to swim!                                           Love that water!!

                    "It's raining cute little boys!" This is easily Joshua's favourite water activity!

          "Row, row, row your boat......"                            "What are you eating Daddy? Can I have some?"

                   Josh and Aki relax                                      So, Joshua learned how to read almost overnight!

             This butterfly wouldn't stop landing on my toes while I tried relaxing in the hammock!

In the jacuzzi at my company presidents beach house. I also got my first ever jellyfish sting on this day - just a small one but not so fun, and I still have a rash over a week after the incident!

                                                   Just in case you didn't believe me.....

Heatwave

This title does not refer to the Miami Heat (remember, I picked them to win next year BEFORE Lebron and Bosh joined Wade in Miami!). Since we've been back from Saipan, the temperature has not dropped below 30, most days being about 33. That's 6 weeks of hot (mostly sunny) weather!! It is a lot different to last years mild summer, but at least we've been able to get the pool out for Joshua more often. He loves swimming and splashing in his pool, while myself and Aki also enjoy lying in the water to escape the heat. He is starting to talk a lot more, most of it is babble, but there are a few words that we can understand, Japanese and English - "kaka"=car, "kuku"=shoes (kutsu in Japanese), "jaja"=water (jaja is the sound water makes in Japanese). He also understands a lot of Japanese and English, including different words for the same thing.

Joshua started going to my preschool!! He is in the other class from where I teach, but I do see him during the day. He is going twice a week from 9-3:30. His first day he cried a lot, from when we walked in the door until they went to play outside at about 10:30. His second day he cried for about 15 minutes. His third day he whimpered as we walked in the door. From his fourth day on he has been great, not crying at all! When we walk in the door he goes straight away to change his shoes. He is in a class with 5 other boys, all a little older than him. I'm really happy that he's enjoying it so much and doesn't seem distracted by my random appearances.

We popped in to see Liam for his birthday last week. Anthony and Fumiko's house is finished and they are still getting through the unpacking process.

This month we'll go camping for a couple of days, so looking forward to that! Just hope it's cooled down a little by then....