Archive for February, 2004

Japanese manners and etiquette

* Do not put soy sauce on your rice–it isn’t meant for that.

* In Japan, it’s good (in commercials, anyway) to make loud gulping noises when drinking. Expect to hear lots of it in ads

* In Japan the whole family uses the same bath water — as a guest you will probably be given the priviledge of using the bath water first. Do NOT drain the water out after you have finished your bath!

* When they laugh Japanese women often cover their mouths with their hand. This comes from an old Buddhist notion that showing bone is unclean, as well as a horrendous lack of orthodontics in Japan. If you’re a woman you have no obligation to copy this, but you will soon notice how frequently Japanese do this.

with these two crazy Japanese games:

Grow

Crimson Room

If anyone has solved Grow please tell me the answer before I have a nervous breakdown!

[Edit] It’s ok we found a solution by cheating *puts down valium*

I got a lovely handmade card from the mister featuring us both. Now how much better is than than a cheapo Hallmark card?

Has George Bush had a nose job? The evidence for the argument is here

guess which is Michael Jackson’s nose

A few weeks ago it dawned on me that I must do something drastic about my weight. I’ve been overweight for ages but a trip to the doctor confirmed my high blood pressure and I’m so sick of not being able to fit into clothes from high street shops. Oh and buying bras was a nightmare, argh the pain of having big tits!

I put myself on a healthy eating diet by cutting out all the rubbish like biscuits, crisps and cakes and I’ve made sure I’m eating at least my five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. I’m added things like linseed and pumpkin seeds to my cereal in the morning (so I get extra nutrients like essential fatty acids) and I’m drinking soya milk which is high in phyto-oestrogens and cholesterol free. I decided that going on a diet is pointless so instead I’ve changed my eating plan (hopefully for life) to a healthy one. I also try and make sure I eat little amounts often to keep up my blood sugar levels. If you leave along time in between meals you blood sugar dips and so does your metabolism.

If you go on a faddy diet you may well lose weight rapidly but what happens when you stop it and go back to eating normally? Do you really plan to follow a very unhealthy Atkin’s diet for the rest of your life and limit yourself to a low carb diet? Common sense tells me that you will end up heavier than when you started.

The outcome? I’ve nearly lost a stone, my energy levels are up and my skin is looking better! Hurrah!

Which Muskehound are you?