the gifts are here and x mas can start off right!!!

hows it going. just thought id drop ya'll a line to say that the rough part of the move to our new apt is done. it has hard today carrying chairs and a table from the "konan home depot" in the blowing freezing wind. but at least we have something to sit on now. standing and eating dinner just wasn't cutting it.
we just recived your x mas parcles ammi and thathi, dilshi and matt. thanks sooo much!. mom we saw that yours it at the post office, we have to pick it up.

i dont know what it is. but chocolate in the mail is soo much better when you are far away. we are not going to watch the dvds till x mas. we set up our tree yesterday, bling'ed it out with decorations and lights even!. we decided to call it henry the x mas tree. and i made a wreath for the door. it is very "winners chic!" and its home made!. if any one steals it, i will be so mad. i will break into their aptartment and personally put coal on their futon!!
work is going well. i had a group of students today that hardly talked, and i think for a few split secoonds i fell asleep on camera. but i also had a wicked group of students that loved to talk about food, needless to say we all became fast friends.

so much has happened in the past 2 weeks since i wrote. but to recap we have been ghetto, no let me say that again G-H-E-T-T-O!!! just last friday we got paid, but before that we were honestly living on...no money. its been a great experience for me and shiv. we thought we were down and out in halifax, but this beat it badly. we some how survived for the last 5 weeks on about $200. so to break that down, thats alof of 100 yen store food and noodle packets. we learned how to find the super sale food, entertain on a budget and see the city without spending any money.

the day we got paid was the sweetest day, we went for indian buffet, bought a tree, moved into our new place and got train passes (finally). so life is a tad bit more comfortable. but some how eating pasta, tuna and dollar store orange juice, using our stolen internet will remain a fond memory for years to come.
Another event im so happy about is our new YakiNiku BBQ. shiv is genius and found and bought this indoor table sized BBQ grill. We have been making some of the best BBQ i have ever eaten. So tender and tasty. You know what it tastes like....The satay sticks that you get at the phillipines tent ot the Thai or polynesian tents at heritage days. Its soo good. Ive included a picture!

dad, we would like to have you know that it was only up untill 2 weeks ago that we used that safety hundred. we saved it all through our halifax poverty and only cracked it out just recently. it was a life saver.

on a goodnote we have booked our x mas trip to shirahama. its a onsen (hotspring) resort beachy town. we are so excited to get out of osaka's unrelenting grey and see trees and the ocean. also over the holidays we have zeev and his girl friend coming to stay with us from the 25th-3rd. and we have doug coming on the 2nd-5th from south korea coming to stay with us while he gets his back tattooed at chopstick tattoo.

the new apt is much newer and hence a lot less grungy. we like it tons more. have a good pre x mas week every one.

love jan