Christmas on a tropical island

Check out this article about Christmas on Okinawa, if you are thinking about a little winter trip to Japan or if you are interested in what there is to do on a tropical island in December.

Book review: The devil wears Prada

I bought this book because I was bored at a recycle store. My friends were all into collector’s cards and I just found the novel to the movie The devil wears Prada that I had seen a while back.

The story (no spoilers): Andrea Sachs is a writer with ambition and when a job as an assistant to Miranda Priestly (New Yorks most worshiped fashion magazine editor) opens up, she sees it as a stepping stone to finally make a name for herself in the writer’s world. Little does she know how much she must endure to survive the cruel fashion world. Not just that but her boss turns out to be a real devil…

My opinion on the book (no spoilers): I liked reading the story, it was fun and personal and the end, even though it varies a bit from the movie, leaves you with feeling like you experienced all the craziness at Runway with Andrea. The middle of the book though repeats a lot of the hassles Andrea has to go through for Miranda and there is nothing really new happening, as you walk with the protagonist through her year at Runway. There are highlights here and there, in my opinion but often you have to commit to keep going with reading, waiting for something new to happen.

But all in all a very enjoyable book!

Book review: World War Z

Check out the book World War Z by Max Brooks, if you like Zombie apocalypse books. It is quite different and more detailed than the movie. It is compiled of interviews about the Zombie war. A reporter goes around to collect the stories of different people who survived the worst of the worst or found incredible insight into the beginnings of the disease that plagues the world. The undead are subdued by the humans and the interviews re- track what happened and how the virus started. It's a very captivating book, even though the story line is told through interviews.

One of the characters is read by actor Mark Hamill, who does a great job at displaying his character.

Book review: Me before you (A review I didn’t want to write)

Honestly: I heard many different things about this book. My friend told me that it was so good and I had seen movie posters of it. Well, I was traveling through Korea the other month and had some Won over and found the book at the airport book store. I got it: Me before you by Jojo Moyes

Here is what the book is about, without spoilers:

Lou is out of a job and desperately needs to be employed again. She is willing to do anything. Her family needs her share of income. So Lou takes the job offer of a caregiver for 35 year old former successful company boss William Traynor who is bound to a wheel chair after a being hit by a motor bike. He has secluded himself and is rather unfriendly to anyone around him. Lou takes it upon herself to make him see that he can still enjoy life.

My opinion (still no spoilers) :

So you guys, I was so addicted to the book. I couldn't put it down. It's real and it's captivating and it addresses issues in life you might even find a bit shocking. But it's true and honest a great read but be warned: it will move you to tears

Why I didn't want to write this review (spoilers from here):

The end was so hard to swallow for me and I couldn't agree with Will's decision to go through with Dignitas. I'm sure many of you guys felt the same, while reading. He found love, he found joy and it was still not enough. I also think, how Lou stated it in the book, that he is selfish. He is hurting a woman that truly loves him and doesn't want to loose him. But I understand his feelings of emptiness and that he could be who he wanted to with Lou and that he couldn't bear it. You might have noticed that he never confessed his love to her, even though he admitted that he cared for her and that that was the reason he couldn't tie her to him. It is a well written, honest and at times hard to read book. I gotta be truthful, I didn't like the ending. It made me sad and my thoughts were lingering long on this book and that's why I didn't want to review it. Because love didn't have a chance in the end. Depression and hurt won, even though there was a chance for his life to change and be better. When our life gets tough, do we just give up just because it's not what we expected it to be?

A free Japanese class in Okinawa

Hi everyone! 

Check out this Blog post about improving your life and integration into the community though learning the language! It’s so vital to be a part of what’s going on around you through learning Japanese when living in Japan. 

A night at a resort for 50 bucks…

Okinawa is the Hawaii of Japan. I love living here and one of the winters I was able to hang out at a super fancy hotel for only 50$. I was so stoked. My friend found a deal for the Okuma Beach Resort hotel online. I wrote about this cool hotel stay in my Okuma Resort Review on Taiken. Check it out if you like.

Okinawan Folklore | The Ryukyu Kingdom’s kings…

Hi guys,

have you heard of the ancient folklores revolving around the Ryukyu kings of Okinawa? Here is an article I wrote, about the ancient stories revolving around the Goddess that came down to Ryukyu and was forced to marry…

It’s  on Taiken.co, a Japanese/English travelblog. Check it out.

 

Book review: Warm Bodies (No spoilers)

Even though I am not a big Gore fan, I do like Zombie apocalypse books and movies if they are not too scary. I started reading Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion and it was good! I would definitely be interested in watching the movie, even though I heard it’s not as good as the book. Warm Bodies portays the Zombie apocalypse from the un-dead’s side. A Zombie named “R” meets a girl named Julie and falls in love with her. A pretty interesting story. Check it out!

Star Wars Rogue One at Rycom Movie theater

Gonna be honest, the movie ticket prizes in Japan are pretty savage. 1700¥ for a ticket. No matter what time or movie. If you want to enjoy 3D it’s even more, 1900¥. But seriously: it was worth it seeing the new Star Wars movie!! It was great! Go check it out, if you are contemplating on going. I looked for an eigakan (jpn for movie theater) that played it in English with Japanese subs so I would be able to understand everything and Rycom mall had a showing at night. Didn’t regret spending the money! 

Wistful perfume is strangely comforting…

For some reason this new perfume my mom gave me is very comforting. The scent is mild and light but feminine and elegant. It’s from France. I wonder where I know it from.